New Jersey limits contact in football practices

Beginning this fall New Jersey’s high school football teams will be limited to 90 minutes of contact per week during practices.

The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association formally adopted the measure last week in an effort to reduce the number of injuries to prep football players. Schools will receive guidelines in March and the rule will officially take effect after the first game of the season, according to NJ.com.

From NJ.com:

“I think it’s a good rule,” NJSIAA Executive Director Steve Timko said. “I think it’s something that many of the state associations [around the country] are dealing with right now. I think you’re going to see more and more doing it.”

Timko and Jack DuBois, an NJSIAA assistant director who oversees football, said they have received little pushback from coaches or administrators regarding the new protocol. Timko added that many coaches around the state already adhere to contact limitations.

“We have the support of our football committee, and many of our schools have been doing it,” Timko said. “It’s not like we’re trotting out this totally new concept. People have been doing it and doing it for the right reasons.”

As Timko noted, you’ll likely see more states adopt similar measure. California is another state that last year decided it would limit full-contact practices in high school and middle school football.