Damar Hamlin's injury raises concerns of concussions and injuries in Colorado youth sports

Many families are having difficult conversations today about the risks of kids playing tackle football after Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest and collapsed on the field during a Monday Night Football game.  

For the Martinez family, it's safe to say life revolves around football, and 12-year-old ZJ is a big reason why. As the son of a coach, he plays the game and watches it constantly too. On Monday, he saw something he'd never seen before.  

"It scared him a lot," said Mandy Martinez, ZJ's mother. "The concerning part was how he was feeling watching it all because he plays that sport." 

Martinez said Damar Hamlin's medical issue was a mom's worst fear playing out on live TV. Though a rare occurrence, it started a conversation about ZJ's health and safety, as well as what safeguards there are in place.  

"It's exciting, but it's also as a mom, you just make sure your son's OK out there," she said. "If I stay on top of [his health] and he stays on top of it, then we should be OK. I just don't want him to have that fear ever." 

Manual High School athletic director Doug Clinkscales tells CBS News Colorado he's had similar conversations since the injury.  

"As soon as I saw that I started thinking of our safety protocols - what would we do in that situation?" he said.  

His coaches are required to be CPR and first aid certified per CHSAA rules. They also have AEDs in multiple locations around the school and athletic facilities.  

His advice to concerned parents is to be proactive and ask questions.  

"You need to make sure that the coaches and the administrators, the heads of programs, are taking these things into account and have great emergency action plans," Clinkscales said. "Heaven forbid something were to happen here, I feel like we're trained enough and equipped to hopefully do the right things." 

According to the National Federation of State High School Associations, participation in 11-player boys football has slightly declined for several years, "due in part, to concerns about the risk of injury."  

Still, in a 2019 report on sports registration trends, the organization's executive director said improved rules and safety protocols make the game safer than it's ever been. 

"Everyone is afraid of tackle football, and we get it. I was," said Martinez.  

Mandy Martinez feels there's still room to improve, but she'll support ZJ as long as he wants to play.  

"We can't let something that happened through the NFL affect his future of what he loves to do."