KJZZ

The Pac-12 conference, which includes Arizona State and the University of Arizona, says it will be implementing new rules for football practices in an effort to cut down on injuries.

The effort is primarily focused on limiting concussions and head trauma.

Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott says the conference will have a league-wide policy to restrict how much contact can be made during football practices. Scott says the conference will allow fewer hits than the NCAA currently does. He says many of the league’s universities already have their own self-imposed limits.

The conference will also be providing $3.5 million in funding for concussion-related research and a head trauma task force. Scott says details are still being worked out, and he expects the conference’s new policies to be in place by the end of July. The football season begins in September.