N.C. legislator: Parents will not be allowed to clear concussed kids

March 1, 2017 / Athletic Administration • Coaching • Football

A controversial proposal in North Carolina that would have allowed parents to clear their concussed children for action was the result of a typo, a state lawmaker said.

The bill (H.B. 116) made headlines Tuesday after one of its provisions gave parents the right to medically clear their children for return to play after suffering a concussion. For states that do require medical clearance — North Carolina already among them — written permission must be given by a licensed physician, neuropsychologist or athletic trainer.

State Rep. Greg Murphy spoke with ESPN’s Outside the Lines on Tuesday afternoon to explain that parents would not be allowed to clear their children for action. He said the provision’s inclusion in the bill was a mistake and it would be removed in committee.

“I think that was an issue that’s going to be entirely removed from the bill as it is now,” Murphy told Outside the Lines. “It was an inadvertent piece that was not taken off from an earlier version. We have no intention whatsoever to allow parents to make decisions about the neurologic safety of their child athlete to return to play. The issue is now that there is not an issue.

“This was an inadvertent part of the bill that was not taken out when it should have been and we’re going to remove it hastily.”

H.B. 116 seeks to improve education and reporting of sudden cardiac arrest and heat-related illnesses across the state. It would also establish a database tracking injuries and illnesses of high school student-athletes.

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