Too big for football? Typically, those words are a contradiction. Being enormous is an enormous part of the NFL.
But, tonight's talker is about youth leagues, where safety concerns have leagues sensitive about size. Now, a 12-year-old boy is in the middle of a debate.
The Mesquite, Texas peewee football league told Elijah Earnhardt that he cannot play in the league. Earhnardt is 6'1'' and weighs 297lbs.
Until this year, that would not have been an issue for him. The league says kids heavier than 135lbs can play, as long as they play offensive or defensive line.
But, those rules apply only up to 6th grade. If you're like Earnhardt, over 135 pounds and in 7th grade, you're kept out. Join your school team, the league says.
Earnhardt says even though he's big, he's new to football. His family is fighting the league. They've been making protest signs.
"I don't want to play in school right now because people had experience of playing and I want to get the experience first then start playing," Elijah tells FOX News. "I just want to play because most of my teammates are my friends and I know them. I don't want to play with somebody else I don't know."
"For him to come home and just cry last night and literally go to his room and say, 'I give up..'I'm not gonna let him give up," Earnhardt's mom says.
The league says the rules are the rules. It says several other players were kept out for the same reason.
A new season of youth football is getting started in our area. The Canaryville Lions are practicing five nights a week on Chicago's South Side. Kids can play in this league through 8th grade regardless of their weight, but there are a few restrictions.
Players over 180lbs can play only offensive or defensive line. Players who weigh under 180, but still above 160, are allowed to play defensive end or linebacker, but still can't carry the ball. The idea is to match up the biggest kids against the biggest kids.
We spoke with parents and coaches about safety in general, and about what happened in Texas.
First up, the Lions' head coach Adam Campbell, who says the league was right to keep Elijah Earnhardt out.
"A big kid like that needs to play against other big kids. He's goin to learn a lot more, he's going to be challenged more, playing against much smaller kids really isn't to his advantage."
But a parent we spoke with disagreed.
"If you don't allow a kid to play you don't know what kinda effect that may cause on him in the long run.. and he may have self-esteem issues as far as his weight is concerned and that can trigger a whole lot of other issues."
Another parent had this to say: "I just think that if they have the proper equipment that everything should be okay. And if an accident happens, it happens. It's sports. I think it teaches them to toughen up a little bit."
