Organized tackle football would be banned for Illinois children younger than 12 years old under a bill unveiled Thursday.

The Dave Duerson Act to Prevent CTE is named for the Chicago Bears defensive back who was diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy after he killed himself at the age of 50. Duerson shot himself in the chest so his brain could be studied for signs of the disease that has been linked to concussions or repeated head trauma.

”When my father tragically took his own life Matthew Stafford Jersey White , he donated his brain to science in hopes of being part of the solution,” said Tregg Duerson, who like his father played football at Notre Dame.

”Thanks to increased attention and research on brain trauma, we know that part of the solution is to guard young children’s developing brains from the risks of tackle football,” Tregg Duerson said in a statement, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press in advance of the announcement. ”This bill honors my family’s hopes and my father’s legacy to protect future athletes and the future of football.”

State Rep. Carol Sente, a Democrat from Vernon Hills, announced the proposal at a news conference Thursday along with Chris Nowinski, the head of the Concussion Legacy Foundation. Also in attendance were former Bears players Mike Adamle and Otis Wilson – a teammate of Dave Duerson’s on the 1985 championship team – and Liz Nicholson, the wife of former Cleveland Brown Gerry Sullivan, who has sued the NFL over its handling of concussions.

”We all want kids to have fun playing football and to learn to play the game the right way early on,” Sente said in a statement. ”But the overwhelming data and powerful stories of our supporters here today show the risks of playing tackle football before turning 12 just aren’t worth it.”

Wilson said he hasn’t had any CTE symptoms but he plans to donate his brain to research.

”I don’t need it where I’m going so might as well be able to help the process,” he said. ”There are a lot of individuals that have this issue and the more research that’s being done, hopefully we can have something to combat it.”

CTE is a degenerative disease known to cause memory loss http://www.lionscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-matthew-stafford-jersey , violent moods and other cognitive difficulties in football players, members of the military and others who have endured repeated head trauma. It can only be diagnosed after death. Researchers believe the severity of the symptoms is increased for those who began playing football at a younger age.

After years of denials, the NFL has acknowledged a link between head blows and brain disease and agreed in 2015 to a $1 billion settlement with former players.

The Illinois bill is similar to a proposal in New York, and Nowinski said lawmakers in at least one other state are working to raise the age at which children begin playing tackle football. He said studies have shown that starting tackle football before the age of 12 can lead to great neurological impairment later in life.

”This isn’t about an act to ban tackle football,” Nowinski said. ”This is about an act to prevent children from being hit in the head hundreds of times through sports each season.”

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Golen reported from Boston.
The only thing that would have made Brandon Crawford feel better about his game-ending homer was if it had come early enough to reward Madison Bumgarner with a win.

Crawford homered with one out in the bottom of the ninth after Bumgarner threw seven scoreless innings, giving the San Francisco Giants their fourth straight victory, 1-0 over the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday night.

”It would have been nice to get him a win,” Crawford said. ”He pitched well enough that he should have gotten one. … He looked like vintage Bum out there. He had everything working. His slider has been a lot sharper his last couple of outings, his curveball is looking a lot better and he’s locating stuff.”

Colorado starter Kyle Freeland matched Bumgarner with seven spotless innings of his own, setting the stage for Crawford’s dramatic shot.

Left-hander Harrison Musgrave (0-3) entered in the ninth to face the left-handed-hitting Crawford. The move backfired when Crawford launched a high drive that cleared the wall in right field for his third career walk-off homer, sending the Rockies to their fourth consecutive loss.

”It just kind of kept to the middle,” Musgrave said. ”Good hitters hit it out of the park and that’s what happened. Just didn’t execute a pitch and you get punished up here for stuff like that.”

Crawford was mobbed by teammates at home plate as the Giants improved to 42-39 at the halfway point of the season. That’s 12 games ahead of their pace from a year ago despite playing the first two months without an injured Bumgarner.

”You always want more,” Bumgarner said. ”But the spot we’re in now is not a bad place to be.”

Reyes Moronta (4-1) got two outs for the win.

Bumgarner retired the first 14 batters he faced before Carlos Gonzalez became the first Colorado hitter to reach, on a broken-bat double that landed just inside the left-field line.

Bumgarner walked the next two batters to load the bases before escaping the jam by striking out Freeland. The 2014 World Series MVP allowed just two hits with eight strikeouts in his second consecutive scoreless start. He pitched eight shutout innings to beat San Diego for his first win of the season last Thursday.

Freeland was just as stingy Golden Tate Jersey White , permitting only four hits and pitching around a pair of errors by first baseman Ian Desmond. Freeland got Pablo Sandoval to ground out with runners on first and third to end the fourth, and retired Crawford on a popup with runners at the corners to end the sixth.

Freeland has 11 quality starts in 16 appearances this season.

”What a great matchup between two lefties, one just starting his career and getting his feet on the ground, and Bumgarner, obviously we know what he’s done in his career,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. ”Really proud of Kyle.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rockies: RHP Scott Oberg and LHP Mike Dunn were activated from the disabled list. RHPs Jeff Hoffman and Brooks Pounders were optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque.

Giants: RHP Jeff Samardzija (right shoulder) will likely need at least one more rehab start after lasting just four innings for Triple-A Sacramento on Tuesday. Samardzija’s outing was cut short because he threw 40 pitches in the first.

WALK IT OFF

Crawford gave the Giants their sixth walk-off homer in a 1-0 win since moving to San Francisco in 1958. The previous one was hit by Steve Decker against Houston in 1991. The others were hit by Bobby Murcer vs. Philadelphia in 1976, Tom Haller in 1967 vs. Pittsburgh, and Willie Mays in 1966 against Houston and 1963 off Warren Spahn in a 16-inning game that Juan Marichal completed against the Milwaukee Braves.

MILESTONE

Bumgarner struck out DJ LeMahieu to open the game, giving him 1,500 Ks for his career in 1,534 1/3 innings. He’s the ninth-fastest lefty to reach the mark in the live ball era starting in 1920.

UP NEXT

Jon Gray (7-7) looks to beat the Giants for the first time in six career starts in the series finale. Gray is coming off his third career 12-strikeout game, the most in Colorado history. Chris Stratton (8-5) pitches for San Francisco.

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