Jordan McNair Youth Athletic Protection Act Passes At Baltimore City Council
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — City Council President Brandon Scott is announcing new legislation that will better protect Baltimore's athletes.
The Jordan McNair Youth Athletic Protection Act passed Monday night. It now heads to the mayor's desk to sign.
The move is in honor of University of Maryland football player, Jordan McNair, who died during an off-season practice.
Jordan McNair was an all-star athlete, an offensive lineman at the University of Maryland.
In 2018, Jordan died of heatstroke at the age of 19, after one of his football practices.
"Together with City Council President Brandon Scott, are sharing the strides that the City is making to protect its student-athletes,"
The bill ensures that coaches and team parents are equipped with the proper safety training and equipment if they have to respond to an emergency.
This includes having on-site access to an AED machine. The bill also requires that any athlete who sustains a serious medical injury be taken out of the game.
In August, after two external investigations, the University of Maryland also took steps to implement a number of changes. It announced that it was hiring a new director of sports medicine to lead those efforts.
Marty McNair educates coaches and parents about heat-related injuries. He hopes this bill honors his son's legacy and protects other athletes just like him.
Council President Brandon Scott said the next step is to take this bill and apply it on the state level to protect athletes at colleges and universities around Maryland.
