NFL bans 10 helmet models after 2018

NEW YORK – Agence France-Presse

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is among the NFL players who will have to look for a new helmet after next season after 10 headgear models were banned April 16.

In a move to combat concussions after concerns for years that not enough was being done to protect players, the league and the Players Association released laboratory performance test results on helmet brands.

They announced 10 models would be prohibited, although players who used four of them in the 2017 season could have one final campaign with them in 2018.

The banned after 2018 models included Brady’s Riddell VSR-4 helmet, although the 40-year-old winner of five Super Bowls has the opportunity to test other helmets under game conditions this season also.

The tests were developed by biomechanical engineering experts to provide more information for players making helmet choices, although factors such as fit, comfort and durability were also given as considerations in helmet selection.

In prior seasons, NFL players could choose any helmet as long as it passed National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment certification standards. The prohibited helmets that performed poorly in testing are discontinued versions by helmet manufacturers or produced by companies that no longer make American football helmets.