Advertisement

USA Football condemns viral youth football video of boy getting violently knocked over

USA Football wants to make it clear that what happened in a viral youth football video is inappropriate.

A video of a young football player getting brutally run over by another had been widely shared across social media on Tuesday and Wednesday. Adults on the field can be heard laughing after the boy gets knocked down in a drill purportedly designed to help defenders learn how to tackle and ball carriers learn how to break a tackle.

It's obvious to anyone watching the video that the drill should never have been implemented in the first place. Just look at how the (bigger) ball carrier lowers his head to run over the child trying to tackle him. The NFL and NCAA have taken steps in recent years to penalize players for lowering their head to initiate contact. That head lowering is incredibly dangerous and can lead to head and neck injuries.

USA Football said Wednesday that the video went against everything it teaches youth football coaches.

USA Football certifies youth coaches across the country and says it’s issued over 700,000 football coaching certifications. The organization has implemented processes to educate both players and coaches on how to make the game of football safer in its football development model. That model includes various different types of football from flag football to limited contact and full contact versions of football as players get older.

Former NFL players also rebuke the drill

Numerous former college and pro players didn't hesitate to express their displeasure with what they saw in the video either. While the video shows a variation of the Tennessee Titans logo, it's unclear where the video was shot or who was in it. Hopefully both kids were OK after the collision.

More from Yahoo Sports: