HCA: New Pac-12 policy will limit football contact in practice

Football leagues around the country are working to make the sport safer for the athletes and the Pac-12 is among them. On Monday, the conference announced a student-athlete health initiative which will among other things, reduce the amount of contact in football practices.

The final policy will be released on July 26, but here is the football related blub from Monday's media release:

Football Contact Reduction: The Pac-12 will codify into a formal policy the existing practices across the Conference as they relate to limiting contact in football practice. The final policy will be released at Pac-12 Football Media Day on July 26. Going forward, the Pac-12 will look at guidelines around contact in practice to ensure that student-athlete well-being is being closely monitored, both in the amount of contact and in providing our student-athletes and coaches with ample opportunity to teach and learn the correct tackling methods during the spring and preseason.

We won't know the complete policy until next month, but from the sound of it teams will be limited in the number of full contact practices. The policy is designed to benefit the student-athletes which is always a good thing. As for the impact on WSU? Mike Leach didn't sound too concerned.

"Overall, I'm glad they're proactive and sensitive to stuff," Leach said, via Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports. "I don't think it's going to impact us very much. We've always been characterized by short practices. Once we get going in the season, it's helmets, shoulder pads and shorts."

The Pac-12 would be the first major conference to institute a policy of this nature. The Ivory Ivy League adopted a policy in 2011 which limits teams to two full-contact practices per week. NCAA rules limit teams to five full-contact practices per week. Dodd brings up an interesting question in whether this policy could put the Pac-12 at a competitive disadvantage, but my thought would be the conference may be the first major conference to adopt a policy, but it won't be the last.

Football:

Growing concussion threat: Pac-12 will reduce contact in practices - CBSSports.com
"Overall, I'm glad they're proactive and sensitive to stuff," said Washington State's Mike Leach, never one to have his teams hit much in practice. "I don't think it's going to impact us very much. We've always been characterized by short practices. Once we get going in the season, it's helmets, shoulder pads and shorts.

FULMER CUPDATE: KANSAS GETS ANOTHER FIRST - Every Day Should Be Saturday
WAZZU. Let's start with who's NOT getting charged, or at least hasn't been charged yet in Pullman.

Pac-12's top sack men - Pac-12 Blog - ESPN

Washington State: Travis Long had been the Cougars best defensive player for four consecutive years, so he leaves behind a significant void. How will the Cougs replace his 9.5 sacks? No other defender had more than three sacks last fall. Logan Mayes, likely to replace Long at "Buck" LB, is the most obvious candidate.

Volleyball:

Kyle has been slacking in his volleyball recruit evaluations, but apparently the Cougars signed an impressive class.

*****

Volleyball 2013 Recruiting Class Ranked 14th-Best Nationally - The Washington State University Official Athletic Site
PULLMAN - The Washington State volleyball program, under the direction of Head Coach Jen Greeny, has added one of the best recruiting classes in the nation according to PrepVolleyball.com's annual rankings released last week. The incoming Cougar class of six freshmen earned accolades as the 14th-best nationally and was one of seven Pac-12 programs ranked in the top 15 nationally, the highest rankings of any conference for 2013.