Friday's health and safety news from the world of football:
- Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh wrote an essay for baltimoreravens.com that football is under attack, but the game and the values it instills in young men are critical to our society.
- Kentucky Forward featured a group of Union, Kentucky, elementary school kids who have invented a new helmet device that will help football players keep their heads up while practicing.
- Meanwhile, KFOR-TV in Oklahoma City reported on a group of high school students who say they have invented a football helmet that can drastically reduce impact, talking to senior Ethan Blagg.
- The Idaho Statesman featured former NFL quarterback and Pac-12 Network analyst Jake Plummer, who told kids to play multiple sports.
- The Fort Leavenworth Lamp reported that former NFL player Jason Brown spoke at an event honoring six children during Operation Homefront's seventh annual Military Child of the Year Award Gala last week.
- Pro Football Talk looked at the delicate balance between the NFL's disciplinary process for violators of player conduct and players' rights.
- A physical therapist wrote for The Oregonian that the increasing number of ACL injuries might be because of sport specialization in youth athletes.
- WLTX-TV in Columbia, South Carolina, reported that the state's move to ban the "eight-quarter rule" will keep high school coaches from abusing the system to gain a competitive advantage.
-- Bill Bradley, contributing editor
