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Gov. Lee joins NFL chief Roger Goodell in lauding sports safety bill, talks Super Bowl push

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7 months ago

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Gov. Lee joins NFL chief Roger Goodell in lauding sports safety bill, talks Super Bowl push

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All Tennessee high schools will be required to keep devices on hand to address cardiac arrest emergencies under a new law lauded by Gov. Bill Lee and National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Goodell, in Nashville for NFL spring meetings, joined the governor and legislative leaders on Pearl-Cohn High School’s football field Tuesday morning to recognize the new law, which will place automated external defibrillator within 1,000 feet of any high school sports activity in the state.

The new law, which also requires schools to maintain an athletic emergency plan for serious medical events, aligns with an ongoing NFL initiative aimed at preventing deaths from sudden cardiac arrest among high school athletes.

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Stephanie Kuzydym of The Courier Journal explains how often cardiac arrest happens in youth athletes, and what may cause it.

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Tennessee is now one of 14 states to adopt all three policies recommended by the Smart Heart Sports Coalition: Accessible AEDs for all high school athletic competitions and practices, emergency action plans rehearsed annually and CPR and AED training for coaches.

Will governor make Super Bowl push?

Meanwhile, a separate bill signed into law last month by Lee has signaled to some that Tennessee will make a run to host a Super Bowl at the new Titans stadium once it is completed.  

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The law now allows the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development to keep some previously public records secret if they’re deemed “sensitive,” which backers of the bill argue is necessary to shield ongoing negotiations for large events, such as the Super Bowl. Open government advocates pushed back against the bill to no avail.

Lee on Tuesday said he not made any sort of official pitch to Goodell or the NFL for a Super Bowl, but he had “expressed our deep desire willingness to work together.”

“I have advocated for that from the minute I got into office. We started talking about it, knowing that there would likely be a new stadium,” Lee said. “Now that we have one coming, I remind people of the uniqueness of this city in this state and the importance of the Titans. We hope that happens, and I’m asking and advocating for it whenever I get to.”

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