A high school football player lifting a large log with team-mates as part of a Navy Seals-style drill was hit in the head by the log and died Thursday, raising questions about adapting such military training to young athletes. Sachem East graduate Carlin Schledorn, who played football as a junior, said carrying the log – about 12ft (3.7m) long and the diameter of a utility pole – was a “team building” exercise. Football, at all levels, has become more safety-conscious in recent years amid scrutiny of head injuries in the sport. For high schools in Suffolk County, offseason practices are permitted as long as they are not mandated and are open to everyone, said Tom Combs, executive director of the athletic organization that oversees high school sports in the county. In an unrelated incident, another player fell and hit his head Wednesday at the school during training, police said.

Source: The Guardian August 11, 2017 00:11 UTC