Suffolk football gathering tackles head injuries

More than 140 Suffolk County high school football administrators gathered in Medford Tuesday to discuss important issues in the sport. The main issue of the day was head injuries. Frank Cutinella

News 12 Staff

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Oct 21, 2015, 3:06 AM

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Updated 3,354 days ago

More than 140 Suffolk County high school football administrators gathered in Medford Tuesday to discuss important issues in the sport.

The main issue of the day was head injuries.

Frank Cutinella spoke to the group about his son, Tom, who died from a head injury suffered during a game last year. Tom Cutinella was a junior at Shoreham-Wading River High School.

"We have to collectively go forward in football and make this game safer," says Frank Cutinella. "If we're not willing to change, we shouldn't play it."

Cutinella says his son died from an illegal hit, and it's his hope that proper technique will help save lives. He also says he would like to see officials call more penalties for illegal hits.

"I don't want to stand up here and tell young parents 'please don't sign up for football,' because that's not fair to him," says Cutinella.

News 12 and Newsday recently ran a three-part series on football safety on Long Island entitled "Hard Knocks."