Politics & Government

Six New England Football-Related State Laws

Football is back, but did you know there are also several pigskin-related laws in New England states?

It’s fall, and that means football is back.

Did you know there are plenty of state laws specifically pertaining to football in Massachusetts and the rest of the New England states?

Here are six of those laws that impact football you may not have known.

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#1. Thinking of tearing down the goalposts after Harvard beats Yale? Sorry. In Massachusetts, that’ll cost you between $50 and $250 in fines. (MGL 266-104a)

#2. In Vermont, schools need to give a yearly talk on the risks of concussions to student-athletes. (16 VSA-1631)

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#3.  Meanwhile, Rhode Island high school coaches are legally required to give a talk on drugs and steroids to their team before the season. (RIGL 16-11.1-2)

#4. OK, let’s say there is a top prospect entering the NFL Draft hailing from the University of New Hampshire or Dartmouth.

If you want to be their agent, you need to give the New Hampshire Secretary of State’s office information some references and employment history unless you give them a copy of your license to be a sports agent in another state. (NH RSA 332-J:4)

#5. If an NFL team relocated to Maine, they would not legally be able to sell wine or malt liquor in the stands. (MRSA 28A-1074).

#6. … but if they relocated to Rhode Island, they couldn’t play within 500 feet of a church, unless they play a lot of Monday night games. (RIGL 41-6-6)


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