CULVER CITY, Calif. -- Pac-12 teams will be limited to two full-contact practices a week under a new health and safety initiative announced Friday by commissioner Larry Scott.
"This policy reiterates the conference's focus on student-athlete well-being while giving coaches ample opportunity to teach the correct tackling methods throughout the year," Scott said.
While the policy has yet to be formally approved by conference athletic directors, Pac-12 coaches have agreed to enact it starting immediately when fall camps open in August.
The announcement dovetails with a new partnership between the Pac-12, USA Football and the Heads Up Football initiative to teach safer tackling at the youth and high school levels. Pac-12 players and coaches are set to record public service announcements for Heads Up Football during Friday's media day at the Sony Pictures backlot.
Scott also announced the creation of a blue ribbon panel to further examine the impact of head trauma and the use of RFID in shoulder pads during games to gather additional data about player safety.
Follow Dan Greenspan on Twitter @DanGreenspan.
