NJ High School Football Coach In Hot Water For Checking The Durability Of Helmets On Kids Via Haymakers
NJ – Winslow Township athletic director and football coach Kemp Carr has been suspended for giving a player a hard slap on the side of the helmet, according to a district official with knowledge of the incident and discipline. The slap was captured on video that recently was posted to social media. The official, who requested anonymity, was not authorized to speak publicly about personnel issues. In the video, shown above, Carr appears to be helping a player try on a helmet. He turns the player around and from the back, reaches far back and follows through with a slap to the right side of the players’ head that knocks the player forward.
Millennials. What, does anyone think a simple slight movement of the head test would determine if that helmet is suitable for gameplay on this kid? Psh. News flash, dinks: Football is a CONTACT sport. Would you want your child to lower his head and have his head explode like a watermelon on the first hit he (or she, 2017) takes? I think not. You want to make sure their protection is in tip top shape before sending them out onto the field of battle. And having a jacked grown man throw a haymaker at a teenager wearing said protection is the best way to test the gear. Also, you can’t get CTE if your brain is already mush. Old coach’s trick.
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Yeah…you can’t wind up from the heavens and hit kids over the head, even if they are wearing a football helmet. Well, at least not anymore. High School football coaches are a weird and wild breed. The epitome of #FootballGuys. Nobody goes from 0 to Glory Days faster. I’ve personally had coaches who would hop in one on one tackling drills and attempt to light up players who are in full pads. Coaches playing scout team quarterback was a daily occurrence. Hell, I can’t even count how many times I’ve overheard a coach say something along the lines of “If this were my day I’d put you 6-feet under”. It’s just the nature of the beasts. But, yeah, ya can’t exactly lay a hand on kids in any way, shape, or form. Not a good look.
The only people that are possibly more intense than the high school football coaches are the refs. These guys are still on the field of play for a reason, and still sometimes try to make things happen. There’s no off button for glory.