Quote: Riddell makes MOST of the helmets worn by NFL players. Riddell also, last may, encouraged players to switch from one model of helmet (that didn't do well in concussion tests) to a new model.
Also - some - not many, but according to this report - some players wear a helmet made by Adams USA - which was even worse than the "old" riddell model.
Interestingly enough, according to NBC sports - the PLAYERS can choose which helmet, and which manufacturer - they wear.
Just because Riddell is the official helmet provider - does NOT mean players have to wear a riddell.
Also, of note - Riddells Revolution Speed helmet was the ONLY helmet tested that got a 5 star rating.
Here: read for yourself.
"Riddell urges players to switch helmet models Posted by Michael David Smith on May 10, 2011, 7:21 AM EST Patrick Peterson AP
Riddell, the company that makes most of the helmets worn in the NFL, is urging players to change helmet models after a study found that the model worn by 38 percent of players last season is not particularly good at preventing concussions.
Riddell’s VSR-4 helmet received a low one-star rating in a study of football helmets led by a Virginia Tech professor of biomedical engineering. But the Riddell Revolution Speed was the only helmet to get a five-stars rating.
“It is our hope that based upon this and other independent research, that players and teams at all levels will continue to migrate to the Revolution family of helmets,” Riddell Sports president Dan Arment said in a statement emailed to the Associated Press.
NFL players decide for themselves which brand and model of helmet to wear. A model designed by Adams USA that a handful of players wear received an even lower rating than the one-star helmet, with researchers labeling that helmet as “not recommended.”
“All of these helmets protect you from skull fracture, so what we’re doing is going to the next level and looking at how they protect you from brain injury,” said Stefan Duma, the professor who led the study. “We’re basing this analysis off a million impacts we’ve collected. We know how players are hit. . . . It’s much more elaborate than anyone’s ever looked at, in terms of evaluating the performance of helmets.”
If you’ve ever laughed at old footage of football players in leather helmets, the Cleveland Clinic has news for you: Those helmets might be just as safe a the current models.
According to the Cleveland Clinic study, those new-fangled Riddell-type helmets are just as (in)effective as their leather predecessors at preventing concussions and other head injuries. In some cases, the leather helmets tested better than the new ones.
The researchers tested the impact of a range of ordinary hits that football players encounter every day which, some studies have shown, are just as damaging to player health as those highlight-making kill shots.
And, for the record, the Cleveland Clinic is no shoddy operation — it is considered one of the top four hospitals in the country by US News & World Report and boasts the No. 3 neurology department.
Although it is just one study, this is yet another piece of evidence in the growing case for increased safety when it comes to head injuries. And, for parents whose kids play football, this study certainly gives them something to mull over.
Cleveland Clinic study finds today's football helmets really no better than leather predecessors
November 05, 2011
CLEVELAND. Ohio — Today's football helmets provide no more protection from many on-field collisions, including some that could cause a concussion, than their leather predecessors did decades ago.
That's the finding of Cleveland Clinic researchers who tested 11 modern helmets and two "leatherheads" from early last century. The results were published online today in the Journal of Neurosurgery.
The study reflects the growing concern about head injuries in sports. In September, as part of a separate Clinic-lead study, nurses drew blood from Baldwin-Wallace football players following a game against Heidelberg to test for elevated protein levels that would suggest head injury. The goal of the study is to determine when an athlete who sustains a blow to the head should get medical treatment.
Football is the leading cause of concussions in the United States and 53 percent of those that occur during high school are never reported, according to the Journal of Neurosurgery report.
And yet helmet safety design standards are based on preventing catastrophic injury such as skull fracture, not concussions, said lead researcher Adam Bartsch, director of the Cleveland Clinic's Spine Research Lab located at Lutheran Hospital.
Researchers are not calling for a return to leather helmets, but they do believe more research is in order to make today's helmets more protective in all manner of contact.
The study tested hits in what Bartsch called the near-concussive range, that may or may not result in a concussion. But that's not to say the hits aren't doing damage.
Bartsch cited former Pittsburgh Steeler lineman Mike Webster who developed a debilitating brain disorder called chronic traumatic encaphalopathy despite never having experienced a known concussion during his playing days.
The blows can add up, Bartsch said, especially for those who start playing football at a young age and continue on to adulthood. "You want to reduce every one of those impacts as much as physically possible," he said.
The researchers tested 11 hard plastic helmets that would be used in the National Football League, college and in high school. Brands included Riddell, Schutt, Adams and Xenith.
The two leather helmets date back to between 1920 to 1940 and were collectibles owned by one of the researchers, Bartsch said. They are all leather and are a quarter- to a half-inch thick.
The helmets sustained blows from five different angles, and in most cases the leather helmets performed as well or slightly better than the hard plastic helmets, Bartsch said.
Hank Zaborniak, assistant commissioner for football with the Ohio High School Athletic Association, said the Clinic's research doesn't surprise him. If a helmet could be developed to prevent more concussions, that would be a good thing, he said, but cost would be a factor, "whether anybody wants to admit it or not."
Zaborniak said he thinks helmet manufacturers will design a better product, if they aren't doing so already, because it makes good business sense. "If you have a better product than I do, you're going to sell more than I do," he said.
Representatives of Riddell Sports and Xenith did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesman for Schutt Sports, which acquired Adams USA's football helmet and faceguard business, earlier this year, declined to comment.
Bartsch said the inspiration for the study came from two sources. One was a commonly heard claim that newer helmets are better than older helmets but with no objective evidence to back up the claim.
He also cited an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety crash test that had a 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air plow into a 2009 Malibu to test advances in automobile safety. The modern car's occupants fared much better.
Bartsch said one of the follow-up studies that needs to be done involves coming up with the optimal helmet design for children who play football.
"Is a hard shell a good design?" he said, or "Should the padding on the inside be super-stiff or super soft?"
The current safety standard for a football helmets was developed in 1973, Bartsch said, but beyond preventing catastrophic damage, the only other parameter helmet makers use "is how cool the helmet looks."
Quote: Study suggests new helmets no better than leather
funny, I don't remember any skull fractures recently in the NFL which is the reason they went away from the leather helmets in the first place.
Quote: The current safety standard for a football helmets was developed in 1973, Bartsch said, but beyond preventing catastrophic damage, the only other parameter helmet makers use "is how cool the helmet looks."
Riddell Under Fire Outside the Lines (NOTE: Sunday, 9 a.m. ET, ESPN)
The recent concussion lawsuits by NFL players are once again raising questions about head trauma and helmet safety in professional football. In the eye of the storm is the League’s official helmet-maker, Riddell, who is also being sued and has come under fire from members of Congress for allegedly making deceptive marketing claims regarding helmet protection. Sunday on Outside the Lines, ESPN The Magazine’s senior writer Peter Keating takes a closer look at the safety claims surrounding helmets.
“We didn't know what a concussion was. But with knowledge comes responsibility. You knew that you did this to this group of men. Now pay for it.” -- Joe DeLamielleure, Hall-of-Famer for the Bills, Browns 1973-85, among more than 125 players suing the NFL, in most of the cases also suing Riddell
“Riddell’s advertising claims are supported by peer-reviewed, published research, and we are confident that this research data is reliable and accurate.” -- Riddell statement
“The whole thing right now is pending before the Federal Trade Commission. I believe at the end of the day, that they’re going to see that there’s some very deceptive advertising going on here.” -- Sen. Tom Udall, New Mexico, who serves on the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee, and is leading the charge against Riddell’s marketing claims
This video..."OTL - Riddell Under Fire"... is very good video on the subject of Riddell helmets, safety equipment and concussions. It is an ESPN Outside the Lines video.
Here is a story about Mark Kelso and his experience using the ProCap...there is a good picture of Kelso wearing the ProCap in a game against the Steelers...
Mark Kelso ’85: Keeping his head, and helmet in the game
BY ERIC W. PESOLA
February 10, 2010
Mark Kelso ’85 graduated from the College and was originally drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles to play free safety, but wound up spending his entire professional career in Buffalo. Along the way, he and his Bills achieved something that may never be matched by any team in the National Football League.
“There were years when we didn’t lose a home game,” says Kelso about the teams he played for, which reached the Super Bowl four times in a row (from 1990 to 1993). “Just being there four times was pretty special. I think that I would have traded those four for a couple of victories.”
“It doesn’t come up too often, but with the lack of success recently in Buffalo, people think a lot about those times when the team was perennially good,” he says.
Kelso made his home in the Buffalo area after retiring after the 1993 season, and has since moved into realm of media, helping to give color to Bills’ radio broadcasts. He also serves a local high school as a development officer and has also coached both youth football and baseball for some time.
“It’s nice to be plugged into the organization again,” says Kelso of his current role with the Bills. “It’s a lot of fun to be around some of those players. I do have a good relationship with a few of them. And I do like this city a lot and it’s great to be a part of something that is so important to the people who live around here, and the Bills certainly are that.”
One connection that Kelso shares with both the College and the Bills was his head coach while a player in Buffalo. Coach Marv Levy guided the Bills from 1986 to 1997 and coached the Tribe from 1964 to 1968.
“Marv and I used to reminisce about Williamsburg all the time,” says Kelso. “He has a great affection for William and Mary. One of the years that he was at the College was when we beat the Naval Academy back when they had Roger Staubach and were ranked pretty highly at that point. We’d talk a lot about William and Mary, especially on the sidelines during practice or during a light practice on a Friday afternoon.”
To many NFL fans back in his playing days, Kelso was the guy with the “giant helmet.” He played with a “pro-cap,” or an additional layer of foam padding on the exterior of his helmet, which attracted a whole lot of attention. NFL television commentators used to pause game action to point out and circle the helmet. But Kelso was actually quite grateful to what the extra pads gave him.
“With great encouragement from the medical staff from the Bills, they had me wear something that did not look too fashionable at the time, but they were convinced that it would help alleviate some of the problems I had been having with concussions, and it did,” says Kelso. “I wore it for five years and I would credit it for saving my career.”
And now, as the NFL has tried to make helmet-to-helmet hits a focus, and as concussions have become more widely detected in all levels of football, Kelso and his pro-cap are once again being talked about. This is something which he embraces.
“I try to communicate [to current players] that your long-term health is important,” says Kelso. “I know it’s different when guys get paid, and [Steelers’ receiver] Hines Ward said that ‘no one forces you to play the game.’ That’s true, but we don’t want players — especially younger players — to have any long term effects due to concussions, which may have lingering effects.
“I think that we need to have the best technology on the field and I am an advocate to say that players need to be able to try things that might not look as pretty but are more protective,” says Kelso. “I am trying to coordinate football with the engineering and medical professions and get some better collaboration so that we can produce the best possible helmet that science will allow.”
Kelso is working with a company to develop a new helmet, based on his pro-cap, which would combine the exterior padding into every player’s helmet, and hopefully cutting down on concussions.
“Traditional poly-carbonate helmets deflect the impact, while an energy management helmet, or a soft helmet, which was what I wore, would do the same thing, but it’s also got some memory so it can absorb some of the force and prevent it from impacting the skull,” says Kelso. “Theoretically, this could help prevent any concussion symptoms.”
Though Kelso has not been back to campus for a while, he still follows Tribe athletics quite closely, and the recent football success has made him proud.
“The Tribe has a truly great tradition of athletics, and not just football,” says Kelso. “You combine this with the quality of education and it’s an incredible value. Those kids should be recognized as the purest form of student athlete. You can go to William and Mary, play extremely competitive sports and get an outstanding education. Some can go on to play in the professional ranks, and some move onto coaching, obviously like Mike (Tomlin ’95) and Alan Williams ’92 for the Colts and a bunch of other William and Mary guys. In my estimation, you have a to give a lot of credit to Coach Jimmye Laycock ’70, William and Mary football is one of the top 10 programs in the country.”
As far as Super Bowls go, even the most recent one, where he is friends with one of the teams’ head coaches, Kelso says that he watches them now from the standpoint of entertainment. He wants to see a really good game, one that would come down to the last two possessions.
“I would enjoy that — but I’ll turn it off right before the end of the game, so I don’t watch the celebration.”
Because it's always the system that's at fault ..... never the individual. The individual never has any responsibility when there is a larger institution above them.
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
NFL Players Association To Investigate New Orleans Saints Bountygate
Wednesday, 07 March 2012
Is the NFLPA changing directions as the scandal called Bountygate runs down the field? Or is the organization playing referee in what could be end up being a major free-for-all?
Now the NFL Players Association players association will do its own investigation of Bountygate. Why?
According to the AP, “The NFL Players Association will do its own investigation of the New Orleans Saints' bounty system and is asking the league to help set up interviews with the team's coaches and front-office staff.
In a statement released Wednesday, the union says it will "vigorously protect the rights of all players."
The statement also says that if it turns out players "voluntarily and willingly participated in conduct that jeopardized health and safety," the union will work with the NFL to "prevent this in the future."
There is no mention of possible punishment for players involved.
Saints head coach Sean Payton, general manager Mickey Loomis, and former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams have acknowledged the team had a bounty pool for big hits.
However, on Friday, the NFLPA issued this statement, “According to the NFL Players Association in a press release, “Health and safety is a paramount issue to the NFLPA. The NFLPA was informed of this investigation by the NFL earlier today and will review the information contained in the league’s report.”
So why is the NFLPA investigating now whereas on Friday it said it would review information contained in the league’s report?
Here is the full text of the NFLPA statement:
The NFLPA negotiated vigorously to protect our players from coercive actions that compromise health and safety. The current CBA contains detailed rules on what clubs and coaches can and cannot do in terms of practice schedules and places limitations on the amount of contact. These rules include how clubs and coaches can be punished for violations of those safeguards. The statements made by New Orleans Saints management and coaches confirm that they engaged in improper and coercive activities.
We will vigorously protect the rights of all players. Until the facts are known, judgment based on reports in the media is speculative. That is why the NFLPA is undertaking a comprehensive review of the circumstances surrounding these reported violations of League rules. As part of this review, the NFLPA has requested that the NFL help facilitate interviews with members of New Orleans Saints management and coaching staff that were employed by the club in 2009, 2010 and 2011.
We recognize that this investigation was conducted over the course of many months. Accordingly, we have requested that the NFL provide us with sufficient time to complete our internal review as counsel to the players.
If the facts prove that players voluntarily and willingly participated in conduct that jeopardized health and safety, we will work with them and the league to put in place additional safeguards to prevent this in the future.
Dangerous play and acts on the field by players intended to injure have no place in football. We must do better to ensure that this activity is not a part of our game.
Which raises some interesting questions. How far will the NFLPA go in investigating? Will it also probe into allegations that other teams have engaged in similar practices, especially the Washington Redskins during the time that Gregg Williams coached the team?
Quote: According to the AP, “The NFL Players Association will do its own investigation of the New Orleans Saints' bounty system and is asking the league to help set up interviews with the team's coaches and front-office staff.
In a statement released Wednesday, the union says it will "vigorously protect the rights of all players."
The statement also says that if it turns out players "voluntarily and willingly participated in conduct that jeopardized health and safety," the union will work with the NFL to "prevent this in the future."
I know they are the players union... but this reads like, "We want to hang the coaches that were involved and defend the players that were involved."
It just looks like the beginning of a witch hunt to move any and all blame away from the players...
well, this situation gives the owners a lot of leverage back in the concussion/player safety lawsuits I think. The NFLPA is probably extremely worried/angry about this.
Quote: According to the AP, “The NFL Players Association will do its own investigation of the New Orleans Saints' bounty system and is asking the league to help set up interviews with the team's coaches and front-office staff.
In a statement released Wednesday, the union says it will "vigorously protect the rights of all players."
The statement also says that if it turns out players "voluntarily and willingly participated in conduct that jeopardized health and safety," the union will work with the NFL to "prevent this in the future."
I know they are the players union... but this reads like, "We want to hang the coaches that were involved and defend the players that were involved."
It just looks like the beginning of a witch hunt to move any and all blame away from the players...
That's appalling.
The NFLPA should be interested in the health and well being of its players, period ...... not "protecting their rights" under any circumstances. Players do not have the right to injure one another through illegal plays. That's established, and even more today as penalties for blatant illegal hits that injure players increase.
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
Quote: According to the AP, “The NFL Players Association will do its own investigation of the New Orleans Saints' bounty system and is asking the league to help set up interviews with the team's coaches and front-office staff.
In a statement released Wednesday, the union says it will "vigorously protect the rights of all players."
The statement also says that if it turns out players "voluntarily and willingly participated in conduct that jeopardized health and safety," the union will work with the NFL to "prevent this in the future."
I know they are the players union... but this reads like, "We want to hang the coaches that were involved and defend the players that were involved."
It just looks like the beginning of a witch hunt to move any and all blame away from the players...
DC...you obviously do not understand the responsibility of the Players Union, in a matter such as this.
It is the Unions responsibility to investigate the matter and not simply rely on management to do it for them.
DC...this will come down to whom initiated the bounty program as well as those who participated in the bounty program. Also, those who had the power stop the bounty program will be likely come under scrutiny also.
Quote: According to the AP, “The NFL Players Association will do its own investigation of the New Orleans Saints' bounty system and is asking the league to help set up interviews with the team's coaches and front-office staff.
In a statement released Wednesday, the union says it will "vigorously protect the rights of all players."
The statement also says that if it turns out players "voluntarily and willingly participated in conduct that jeopardized health and safety," the union will work with the NFL to "prevent this in the future."
I know they are the players union... but this reads like, "We want to hang the coaches that were involved and defend the players that were involved."
It just looks like the beginning of a witch hunt to move any and all blame away from the players...
DC...you obviously do not understand the responsibility of the Players Union, in a matter such as this.
It is the Unions responsibility to investigate the matter and not simply rely on management to do it for them.
DC...this will come down to whom initiated the bounty program as well as those who participated in the bounty program. Also, those who had the power stop the bounty program will be likely come under scrutiny also.
While that may be the unions responsibility, the union is run by the Players.. The players are the ones committing these acts (for whatever reason) and they are responsible to EACH OTHER.
I don't give a damn who initiated this garbage.. All the players had to do was say NO.. and they didn't.
they are as quilty as the coaches or even more so..
It's just my opinion but I don't see any reason that if this is true, those participating shouldn't be pushed out of the league for a year or more and fined heavely. that included the TEAM owners if they were found to be aware of the situation GM's, HC's or position coachs. AND THE NFLPA.
#GMSTRONG
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.” Daniel Patrick Moynahan
"Alternative facts hurt us all. Think before you blindly believe." Damanshot
Quote: While that may be the unions responsibility, the union is run by the Players.. The players are the ones committing these acts (for whatever reason) and they are responsible to EACH OTHER.
I don't give a damn who initiated this garbage.. All the players had to do was say NO.. and they didn't.
they are as quilty as the coaches or even more so..
daman...your response is a great example of why the Players Union needs to have their own investigation and represent the players accordingly...
...if the players are guilty, they should receive punishment that is agreed upon between the Union and the NFL.
Everyone involved is going to get nicked in this, but I seriously doubt all the punishment is going to be equal.
I'm still curious as to why - for the players, who make a minimum of what, $375,000.00 - why they would risk a fine by the league for a cheap shot - a fine of $5,000 to close to $100,000 - why would the players take cheap/illegal hits in order to hurt someone in order to collect $1,500?
If the answer is: " they didn't take illegal shots", end of story.
Here's a yt of the play that injured Payton Manning. If there was a bounty on him, I have a problem with that. They almost rip off his head, and he ended up missing a season with a recurring injury.
I don't mind paying for a INT, or TD, but not to knock a guy out of the game.
I'm still curious as to why - for the players, who make a minimum of what, $375,000.00 - why they would risk a fine by the league for a cheap shot - a fine of $5,000 to close to $100,000 - why would the players take cheap/illegal hits in order to hurt someone in order to collect $1,500?
If the answer is: " they didn't take illegal shots", end of story.
Because it isn't about the money.
***Gordon, I really didn't think you could be this stOOpid, but you exceeded my expectations. Wussy. Manziel, see Josh Gordon. Dumbass.***
another instance of a G. Williams defense going to a low & high hit on a QB.
not sure how common this is overall (hard to say when all the lowlights are being brought out over different years), but perception is going to be pretty alarming on him and I would think there's a good chance that StL has to part ways with him.
As expected, Commissioner Roger Goodell has hit the Saints hard for the bounty system that was employed for three seasons.
Per a league source, head coach Sean Payton has been suspended for the full year.
But it could have been worse for Payton. Former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has been suspended indefinitely. (Presumably, that means at least a year.)
Also, G.M. Mickey Loomis has been suspended for eight games.
"Going from 4-12 to 6-10 isn't good enough. I believe we are going to be better than that. We're going to be a lot better than that." - Mike Holmgren (3/15/12)
Quote: I would be stunned if he got as much as a one year suspension. No way does he get a lifetime ban. There is a guy who did federal prison time who is paying in the league today ....... in fact, there are 2 of them ...... so I doubt that they would penalize this guy worse than those 2 guys.
He'll get a strong suspension, which 6 games would be ..... a loss of pay ..... and a stiff fine.
You should change your signature to read simply, "stunned".
I told you guys that this would be a harder hit than you thought.
Quote: For anyone that that thinks Goodell will go light on this.. think again and edge away from NOLA as fast as you can. Goodell is gonna stand on Mount Olympus and hurl thunderbolts at these guys. It won't be pretty at all.
Goodell has based the early part of his Commisionership on cleaning up the game. He has been focusing on clean play, fair play and penalizing anything that tarnishes the "shield"
Hizzoner da Commish cannot be happy right now. Especially with the "Prime time draft" right around the corner.
Suspensions will happen. In fact, I won't be surprised if Williams gets a 5 year ban.
Before I go to bed tonight I'm praying to the Good Lord Above that the squealers get caught up in this and they get some tough love from da Commish.
No He is not! Tressel got 7 games for something far less.
"Going from 4-12 to 6-10 isn't good enough. I believe we are going to be better than that. We're going to be a lot better than that." - Mike Holmgren (3/15/12)
Stunned hell, I'm dumbfounded, flabbergasted and astonished.
I guess they figured that Payton did know about the system after all.
I would bet that Payton appeals, and his is reduced to half a season or so.
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
That said, I think that the punishment, while extremely harsh, is fine. Though, given the now comparatively lenient punishment that Belichick and the Pats got for outright cheating, this does seem to be a bit draconian.
Browns is the Browns
... there goes Joe Thomas, the best there ever was in this game.
