Ten helmet models that underperformed in an annual laboratory study will be banned from use by NFL players starting this season, the league and its players union announced in a joint statement Monday.
This is the first time in league history helmets that otherwise passed current National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment certification standards are being banned by the NFL.
Six of the underperforming models will be banned for use by all players. The other four will be permitted only for returning NFL players who used those models in 2017.
According to SI.com, about 200 players will be affected. One of those, according to SI.com, is Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, whose Riddell VSR-4 is one of the four models permitted only for NFL players who used them in 2017.
The goal of the annual study, according to the joint release, is to determine which helmets best reduce head impact severity under laboratory conditions simulating concussion-causing impacts sustained by NFL players during games. The test this year involved 34 models. Here are the results.
The tests were conducted by Biokinetics Inc. of Ottawa, Canada, an independent helmet testing laboratory. All testing procedures and analysts were agreed upon by the NFL and the NFL Players Association.
