Rep. Mfume Seeks to Expand Athlete Safety Bill to High Schools After Tragic Death

U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume is considering expanding the Jordan McNair Student-Athlete Heat Fatality Prevention Act to include high school athletes after the tragic death of Leslie Noble, a 16-year-old football player from Franklin High School.

Noble collapsed during practice on August 14, likely due to heatstroke, prompting Mfume to explore extending protections currently aimed at college athletes to younger students.

The original bill, introduced by Mfume and U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin in June 2023, was named in honor of Jordan McNair, a University of Maryland football player who died of heatstroke following a practice in 2018.

The legislation requires colleges and universities to create emergency heat plans that detail the use of automatic external defibrillators and cold-water immersion equipment.

Mfume now sees the need to expand these safeguards to high schools, where resources for such emergencies may be limited.

“These early childhood memories playing sports should be some of our young people’s fondest moments, and yet, in tragic situations like these, student-athletes experience nothing but trauma as they mourn the loss of their teammate solely because they practiced on the field that day."

Martin McNair, Jordan McNair’s father and founder of the Jordan McNair Foundation, supports expanding the bill to high schools.

He pointed out that while college-level deaths have decreased due to better safety protocols, high schools often lack the resources to implement similar measures.

“These types of bills... would be so much more impactful if we dropped it to the high school level as well.” 

The death of Noble, along with other tragic incidents, has prompted Maryland to pass state laws improving athletic safety at all levels.

Mfume’s efforts to expand federal protections could further ensure that student-athletes across the country are safeguarded from preventable injuries and fatalities. Full story here!