Obama to host concussion conference

A major concern for football and other youth sports -- concussions -- will be the topic of a White House conference on May 29.

President Obama will host the White House Healthy Kids and Safe Sports Concussion Summit that includes young athletes, parents, coaches, professional athletes, military service members and medical experts.

"The president will announce new commitments by both the public and private sectors to raise awareness about how to identify treat and prevent concussions, and conduct additional research in the field of sports-related concussions that will help us better address these problems," White House spokesman Jay Carney said.

The spokesman said Obama, a parent and a sports fan, "appreciates the role that sports plays in the lives of young people, and his administration is committed to helping ensure that children continue to be active and play sports safely."

Obama himself raised the concussion issue during a 2013 interview with The New Republic magazine.

''I'm a big football fan, but I have to tell you if I had a son, I'd have to think long and hard before I let him play football,'' Obama said. ''And I think that those of us who love the sport are going to have to wrestle with the fact that it will probably change gradually to try to reduce some of the violence."