Hey HisKneeWasDown,
I like your letter. Additionally, I wonder if we could get media attention by emailing not just bay area sports journalists, but especially sports journalists who cover teams UCLA is about to play. For example, writers from the Arizona Daily Star, the Daily Wildcat, the Arizona Republic and the State Press.
What do people think?
Dear
[Michael Lev, Arizona Daily Star, Zack Rosenblatt, Arizona Daily Star;
Syrena Tracy, Arizona Daily Wildcat; Ivan Leonard, Arizona Daily Wildcat;
Doug Haller, The Arizona Republic; Paola Boivin, The Arizona Republic; ]
As the [Wildcats/Sun Devils] will soon play UCLA, I urge you to cover the pattern of targeting by UCLA defenders in the Stanford-UCLA football game on Saturday, September 24.
An analysis on the Stanford sports blog Rule of Tree at http://www.ruleoftree.com/2016/9/25/1304...last-night
shows a pattern of targeting that the officiating crew repeatedly failed to call. As Rule of Tree points out, UCLA defensive back Tahaan Goodman left his feet to deliver a hit from the top of his helmet to the head of Dalton Shultz, which was not called.
Later in the game, Francis Owusu was blatantly targeted by the same UCLA defender, Tahaan Goodman, which resulted in a fumble, which ESPN has rated a worst play of the day.
http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=17629772
A sports photographer in Los Angeles also took the following photo that shows how dangerous and damaging that blow was.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BKyUOc-BUlH/
After that blow to the head, Francis Owusu had to leave the game and did not return.
Later in the game, the Rule of Tree notes that quarterback Ryan Burns was targeted in the head while running with the ball.
The fact that the tackler appeared more shaken up than Burns is a reminder that targeting is extremely dangerous for both the defender and the player being struck.
If the conference and officiating crews do not enforce the targeting rule, how can parents feel that their children will be safe when they are recruited by Pac-12 football teams? If a UCLA player (or an opponent) is permanently injured this season or suffers later in life, would the injury been avoidable had the league better enforced the targeting rule? How can members of the University of [Arizona/Arizona State] community feel safe that their players will not receive illegal game-ending and potentially career-ending or life-threatening injuries in their upcoming game against UCLA?
Stanford still won the game, but the more important consequences the health effects for these young men are unknown.
The Pac-12 needs to step up to end this pattern of targeting immediately to protect players safety and long-term health.
I like your letter. Additionally, I wonder if we could get media attention by emailing not just bay area sports journalists, but especially sports journalists who cover teams UCLA is about to play. For example, writers from the Arizona Daily Star, the Daily Wildcat, the Arizona Republic and the State Press.
What do people think?
Dear
[Michael Lev, Arizona Daily Star, Zack Rosenblatt, Arizona Daily Star;
Syrena Tracy, Arizona Daily Wildcat; Ivan Leonard, Arizona Daily Wildcat;
Doug Haller, The Arizona Republic; Paola Boivin, The Arizona Republic; ]
As the [Wildcats/Sun Devils] will soon play UCLA, I urge you to cover the pattern of targeting by UCLA defenders in the Stanford-UCLA football game on Saturday, September 24.
An analysis on the Stanford sports blog Rule of Tree at http://www.ruleoftree.com/2016/9/25/1304...last-night
shows a pattern of targeting that the officiating crew repeatedly failed to call. As Rule of Tree points out, UCLA defensive back Tahaan Goodman left his feet to deliver a hit from the top of his helmet to the head of Dalton Shultz, which was not called.
Later in the game, Francis Owusu was blatantly targeted by the same UCLA defender, Tahaan Goodman, which resulted in a fumble, which ESPN has rated a worst play of the day.
http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=17629772
A sports photographer in Los Angeles also took the following photo that shows how dangerous and damaging that blow was.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BKyUOc-BUlH/
After that blow to the head, Francis Owusu had to leave the game and did not return.
Later in the game, the Rule of Tree notes that quarterback Ryan Burns was targeted in the head while running with the ball.
The fact that the tackler appeared more shaken up than Burns is a reminder that targeting is extremely dangerous for both the defender and the player being struck.
If the conference and officiating crews do not enforce the targeting rule, how can parents feel that their children will be safe when they are recruited by Pac-12 football teams? If a UCLA player (or an opponent) is permanently injured this season or suffers later in life, would the injury been avoidable had the league better enforced the targeting rule? How can members of the University of [Arizona/Arizona State] community feel safe that their players will not receive illegal game-ending and potentially career-ending or life-threatening injuries in their upcoming game against UCLA?
Stanford still won the game, but the more important consequences the health effects for these young men are unknown.
The Pac-12 needs to step up to end this pattern of targeting immediately to protect players safety and long-term health.