NFL, NCAA lobby for concussion laws

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NEW YORK -- NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and NCAA president Mark Emmert are urging 19 governors to support legislation this year aimed at cutting down on concussions in youth football.

Concussions in Sports

What is a concussion? What are the various professional sports leagues doing to prevent and treat them? ESPN.com Topics has the breakdown on all concussion-related issues. Topics »

Goodell and Emmert sent letters Thursday to governors of states -- such as Florida, Ohio and Wisconsin -- they said do not have something akin to Washington state's "Zackery Lystedt Law," named for a middle school football player who sustained brain damage after he got a concussion and returned to play.

That law requires that a player who shows signs of a concussion be removed from a game or practice, and bars the player from competing again until being cleared by a licensed health care professional trained in concussion evaluation and management.

The letters say 31 states and Washington, D.C., already have such laws.

Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press

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