A new bill in the Kentucky General Assembly would allow referees to pull a student athlete out of a competition if they suspect that a player has a concussion and wasn’t given a medical evaluation.
The legislation passed the House Education committee Tuesday, though several lawmakers expressed concerns it would put too much responsibility on sports officials.
Chad Collins, general counsel for the Kentucky High School Athletic Association, said that the measure might discourage people from becoming referees.
“Our concerns are putting an official in a position where they might be doing more getting closer to practicing medicine or diagnosing and we want to avoid that," Collins said.
If a player is suspected to have a concussion, state law already requires teams to bench the player until a licensed health care provider conducts a medical evaluation.
The new bill would allow officials to remove an athlete from play if they have “reasonable suspicion” that the player has returned to the game without the evaluation.
Rep. Mike Denham, a Democrat from Maysville and sponsor of the bill, says the measure ensures the safety of student athletes in the case of an overzealous coach.
“You can’t go to the coach because he’d put him back in the game, but if you go to the official, their responsibility has ceased and they have no further say," Denham said.
The bill now heads to the full House.
