Ban on tackling to have little effect on U. football team
Maya WesbyIvy League football coaches' proposed ban on tackling during in-season practices will not markedly affect Princeton's football team, according to Director of Athletics Mollie Marcoux.According to an article from the New York Times earlier this month, the proposal will become standard policy in the Ivy League if it gains approval from all eight schools' athletic directors, university presidents and the policy committee dedicated to this issue.The University football team, as well as other teams in the League, have already been practicing this strategy of avoiding full-contact hitting, Marcoux noted.John Kolligian, director of university health services, deferred comment about the issue to University Media Relations Specialist Min Pullan.Pullan explained that the University's football team already has a policy in place that not allow tackling to the ground in practice.Marcoux said, “The League has been practicing this [strategy] for a while, and the level of play continues to increase… it’s making us more competitive because we want to keep players healthy and ready to play the game.”“This is not a far divergence from what we’ve already been doing, it would just formalize the policy in the actual season,” she added.When asked for a remark on the issue, Assistant Director of Athletic Communications Craig Sachson deferred comment to an interviewwith Bob Surace, University head coach of football, that aired on ivyleaguedigitalnetwork.com.“Our coaches do a great job, they’re committed to player safety.
