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In an effort to reduce instances of head trauma among athletes, the Pacific-12 Conference became the second to reduce the limit in full-contact football practices, it announced Friday. Teams will be limited to two full-contact practices per week during the regular season and in the spring, and will reduce contact during preseason two-a-day practices. The limits resemble those imposed two years ago by the Ivy League; the NCAA permits five full-contact practices a week.
As awareness and concern about the dangers of head trauma has grown, some conference commissioners and critics including the National College Players' Association have implored the National Collegiate Athletic Association to do more to prevent concussions. The NCAA, however, points out that it is a membership association and has mostly left it to individual conferences and institutions to take the lead. The Ivy League, Big Ten, Southeastern Conference and Pac-12 have also set up long-term research projects to address the issue.
