Marc Buoniconti tells AP it”s time to ban youth football

NEW YORK (AP) A victim himself of the sport, Marc Buoniconti wants to see youth football banned.

He hasn’t always felt that way. Now, as his Miami Project to Cure Paralysis also researches head trauma, the former college linebacker paralyzed from the shoulders down in a game nearly 32 years ago has a different view.

As he has learned more about concussions and has seen his father, Hall of Famer Nick Buoniconti, have significant cognitive issues in recent years, Marc Buoniconti is adamant that children not play football.

He tells The Associated Press, ”I honestly can no longer tell parents that their loved ones should play football. I just can’t do it in my heart.”

Buoniconti is thinking about calling for a ban on ”Little League football” and perhaps extending it through high school. He fears that the hitting inherent in the game is too dangerous for kids, even if no concussions have been sustained.

—

For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL