Traumatic Brain Injury News

New NFL Helmet Study Has Outside Experts Concerned for Youth Athlete Safety
July 23, 2010 | New York Times

The results of an NFL-funded helmet test program has been publicly released, causing many outside experts to worry that the data will ultimately compromise the safety of youth athletes, especially youth football players. The research, released on Friday, July 23, describes the three "top" helmets for safety. These helmets, according to researchers, had performed best in testing against open field tackles (caused by professional football players) resulting in concussions.

There is a problem with these results however, according to Dr. Robert Cantu, the director of the Neurological Sports Injury Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. According to Cantu, the document implies that these helmets offer protection against concussion, leading many people to believe that these helmets are safer. "It is recognized that helmets designed to work at high-impact forces, while efficient at protecting against skull fracture, are not necessarily effective at protecting against concussion." Dr. Cantu said, adding that making these results public could potentially spell trouble for the millions of youth football players in the U.S. "I fear that it will be used to market helmets to youth players. In reality, they may be more unsafe for the lower forces known to cause concussions, primarily in youth football."

Congress is also concerned over the release of the data, which appears to be based on questionable testing methodology. Representative Anthony Weiner (D-NYC) commented that the announcement of the results is a "disturbing step backwards." NFL officials have defended the release arguing that the data was correct and they were assured by researchers that the results held value to professional football players. But it is not the pros that people like Representative Weiner are protecting.

Outside experts and government officials agree that the release of this data could lead to inappropriate marketing of the helmets to kids which could potentially lead to serious head injuries.

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