State, Sports Officials Still At Impasse Over CT Fall Football

HARTFORD, CT — The Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) responded to suggestions made Friday by the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) in a letter released Monday, remaining unwavering in its stance that full contact, 11-versus-11 high school football is too high risk to be played this fall during the coronavirus pandemic.

Officials of the DPH and CIAC, as well as representatives of the office of Gov. Ned Lamont, met for nearly three hours Friday to discuss alternative solutions to possible save the 20202 fall football season, which had been deemed "no longer a viable option" by the CIAC the previous week.

During Friday's meeting, the CIAC proposed some ways to further ensure the safety of players, including "the use of plastic shields that attach to the helmet or a cloth covering over the front grill portion of the helmet for football as further strategies designed to reduce the risk categorization for football," according to the DPH letter, signed by acting commissioner Deidre S. Gifford.

The letter continued, "There is currently no scientific information available to determine: (1) the effectiveness of plastic shields that attach to the helmet or a cloth covering over the front grill portion of the helmet in preventing the spread of respiratory droplets among players and (2) that these specific prevention measures are safe for high school players to use during play. Without any additional data or documentation, DPH could not definitively say whether or not these technologies are safe to use or could be expected to work effectively from an infection control or epidemiologic perspective to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Nor could we assert that they would change the categorization of full contact football from “higher risk” to “moderate risk.”"

Following the CIAC decision to cancel full contact fall football, a peaceful student-organized rally at the state Capitol drew more than 1,000 players, coaches, parents and supporters last Wednesday. Lamont has also indicated his desire to see some sort of football played at schools, whether it be this fall or in the spring.

Here is the complete letter from the DPH to the CIAC:

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