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Controversy Rages over Helmets Rated As Top-Performing by NFL

Wearing a football helmet is just about the only thing that can protect an NFL player from serious or catastrophic brain injury.  The New York Times is reporting on a controversy after the NFL released a report on head injuries and helmet use.

The report was the result of “comprehensive” testing of helmets which named three helmets out of several models as being the best performers.  Two of these helmets were manufactured by Riddell, which also happens to be the official helmet manufacturer of the NFL, and one was manufactured by Schutt.  This week, the NFL and its players union released the test data, which revealed that the three models have performed the best in helmet testing.  According to them, the tests were conducted at two labs that had no affiliation with the league or its committee, and the data was analyzed by independent researchers.

The report mentions that the tests were only conducted on open field tackles that resulted in concussions.  The report clearly mentions that these test results cannot be taken to mean that these helmets are safe for use in high school, college or youth football.

There’s already been plenty of criticism about the report and how parents, high school and youth coaches around the country might misread these results.  These critics have included legislators including Representative  Anthony Weiner, Democrat-New York City.  Representative Weiner has written a letter to Commissioner Roger Goodell of the NFL, saying that the testing and results that were released, were a major step backwards.

For instance, the tests took into consideration the highest one percent of forces that cause concussions, and these are not the levels of impact that a typical youth football player will experience.  Several studies have recognized the fact that helmets that are designed to withstand high-impact force, are not necessarily the best helmets to guard against concussion.  Concussions are typically the most frequent head injuries seen among college and high school football players.

There is also a great danger in the NFL adding its name to a report on such testing.  Parents and coaches around the country might be inclined to take the “top-performing” tag seriously, and they could mistakenly believe that the helmets will do a much better job of protecting their children than others.

The conflict of interest in this helmet testing has been too great for California product liability lawyers to ignore.  For instance, the news release announcing the results of the test did not mention that Riddell is the NFL’s official licensee, or that its Revolution helmet model was especially designed with extra ear hole padding in preparation for the testing.  Besides, the NFL did not mention that testing only used forces from about 25 out of 787 concussions NFL players suffered between 1996 and 2001.  Many of these injuries came during tackles which the NFL has since ruled to be illegal.

Obviously, there are far too many holes in this testing to assure California injury lawyers, parents or coaches.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of product liability. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.

The Reeves Law Group is not representing any party in the matters discussed in this posting.

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