‘Brutal hit’ on Herricks coaches

The Island Now

In a letter to the editor Jean Bileschi, a visitor from Rochester, recounts her experience at the first Herricks High School varsity football game of the year. She writes that the Herricks quarterback took a “brutal hit” that caused his “head to snap way back, knocking him to the ground.”

According to Bileschi, the player “walked several steps then dropped to his knees and vomited.” He sat on the bench where he was looked at by several adults and later re-entered the game.

She asks, “Why was the Herricks quarterback not immediately fully and completely medically evaluated after being hit so violently and then vomiting? Why was the quarterback allowed to continue to play that day?”

The clear implication of her letter is that the trainer, coaches and other adults were not sufficiently concerned about the welfare of the players on their team.

We don’t how things are in Rochester, but we are confident that the administrators and coaches at every public and private high school in Nassau County are aware of the dangers involved in playing high school football and would not intentionally risk the health of any player.

Bileschi notes that the Concussion Management and Awareness Act, which went into effect July 1, requires “that each schools’ coach, athletic trainer, PE teacher and nurse take a course on concussions, the law also requires that if it is even suspected a student has sustained a concussion, they must be removed from play or practice.”

 The Concussion Management and Awareness Act applies to all school sports and even gym class. The schools here already exceed the requirements set by this act. The high school football players on Long Island play have the best, most protective equipment. The staff of each team is trained how to look for signs of a concussion.

Bileschi has no idea what courses the coaches and trainers of all sports here have taken. Neither does she know on what basis the player was allowed to get back in the game.

Yes, Jean, football is a violent sport. The kids who play know that. And for some that’s part of the appeal. 

Their parents sign a release that, in essence, says they understand that this is a violent sport. 

Sadly despite mandatory physicals, there have been tragedies nationwide where players collapse and sometimes die from an unidentified heart condition.

No one wants to see a kid get hurt. We cover high school football on the island and we have never met a coach that, in our opinion, didn’t care about the welfare of his or her players. In fact we have been impressed by the concern of these coaches.

On a national level, research is constantly being done to reduce the risks of playing football at the high school and college level. This has resulted in better helmets, better pads, better conditioning and tougher regulations. Even at the professional level, penalties for horse-collar tackles and other penalties have been added in recent years to protect the players.

 The equipment and training of the coaches and trainers can always get better. But there is no way to take the violence out of football.

 Bileschi concludes, “The Herricks community needs to work at keeping our children safe. It is not just about protective equipment. It is about adults being true leaders by making tough, and sometimes unpopular, decisions.”

 The Herricks community does not need Bileschi’s advice. 

Until we see evidence to the contrary, not just based on one play of one game, we will remain confident that the coaches and trainers in every sport at Herricks High School and at schools throughout Nassau County are putting the safety of their players first.

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