For the first time, NFL players will be prohibited from wearing certain lower-performing helmets in 2018. Ten helmets are now prohibited; six will be banned immediately, the other four can be worn this season only by players who wore them in '17.
@JennyVrentas
For the first time, NFL players will be prohibited from wearing certain lower-performing helmets in 2018. Ten helmets are now prohibited; six will be banned immediately, the other four can be worn this season only by players who wore them in '17.
Wasn't aware of Xenith, Cicis, SG 2.0 or Rawlings.
When involved with JFL we always used Schutt and Riddell, mainly Schutt. There were a few Rawlings, but iMO didn't seem to be as well made as the Schutts.
At 40 years old, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is positively ancient by NFL teams.
But his preferred helmet? That thing is so old that the NFL has banned it. But according to Pro Football Talk, Brady will be allowed to wear his helmet for one more season under a grandfather policy.
In April, the NFL and NFLPA released a statement following a report on helmet safety, stating that 10 styles of helmet would be banned from use. One notable inclusion was the Riddell VSR-4 -- the helmet that Brady wears.
Brady's helmet was introduced back in 1993. Unsurprisingly, helmet technology has come a long way in the past 25 years. Brady is reportedly one of just four players in the NFL who continued to use the old-school style of helmet last year (with New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees being another).
As of 2018, the NFL will no longer allow new players to choose the VSR-4 for their helmets.
According to ESPN, Brady has tried switching helmets in the past, but hasn't been comfortable with any of the newer models.
While the league is moving to take away his headgear of choice, Brady has a positive view of the change.
"It's a good thing. They're trying to find helmets the players will wear that will absorb force better. I think that's a positive," Brady said Monday at the Milken Institute Global Conference. "I still wear a very old helmet, probably out of habit. You talk about behavioral changes are hard; I've tried new helmets and I'm like, 'Doesn't work, get that out of here!' You just have to get comfortable with it."
"Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things." George Carlin
