Sports

Wantagh Football Coach Weighs in on Player Safety

Death of Western New York high school player raises concern.

A tragedy involving a western New York high school football player has raised questions about making athletics safer.

Damon James a 16-year-old running back for Westfield-Brocton collapsed on a sideline after being involved in a helmet to helmet collision Friday.

He died in a local hospital.

With many concerns being raised about player safety at all levels of football, Wantagh coach Keith Sachs, told News 12 Long Island (paid site) is an issue he addresses daily.

"We start the first day of practice going over the proper way to tackle like they have never played before, even if they have been playing since they were five," he said.

Sachs says that working on proper tackling is important even though better helmets are being made because players are getting bigger.


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