‘Concussions Down, Safety Up’: NFL, NFLPA Unveil 2022 Helmet-Testing Results
Thursday, March 24, 2022 at 04:24PM NYSJ Sports-Entertainment Business News Service
March 24, 2022: Calling it a program that “allows players to have more and better choices year after year,” the NFL and NFL Players Assn. today released the results of their 2022 helmet laboratory testing, under which “jointly appointed biomechanical engineers” ranked 47 helmet models, including six new models.
This is the eighth year the league and the NFLPA have collaborated to assess the performance of all helmets worn by NFL players.
“All helmets tested in 2022 met the current National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment certification standards to protect players against severe traumatic skull and brain injuries,” according to the NFL and NFLPA.
Among helmets tested, the Top Four come from VICIS, led by the new Zero2-R Matrix ID Trench, with five overall among the Top 15.
Riddell has five helmets in the Top Ten and seven among the Top 15.
Schutt has three among the Top 15.
“NFL players are the winners here: Helmets keep getting better and they will continue to get better in the years ahead,” Jeff Miller, NFL evp-Player Health and Safety, said via the league.
“Our joint engineers have used NFL data to refine this testing program and ensure performance in the lab correlates directly to the equipment’s safety performance where it matters — on the field of play.”
According to the NFL and NFLPA, between the 2020 and 2021 seasons, “27% of returning players opted to switch to a better-performing helmet; nearly 100% of players wore top-performing helmets for each of the last three years.
“Adoption of better-performing helmets has contributed to a sustained trend for each of the last four seasons (2018-2021) of a 25% reduction in concussions among NFL players compared to the 2015-2017 seasons.”
The NFL and NFLPA said even with the addition of an extra game during the 2021 regular season, “Concussions were at their lowest compared to any other regular season since 2015.”
For the first time, "not recommended" helmets are not available to players who did not wear those models in the 2021 season, according to the NFL and NFLPA.
In addition, “New players and players who change helmets for the 2022 season must select from the ‘top-performing’ helmets.
“New players and players who did not wear a helmet from the ‘not recommended’ group during the 2021 season are not permitted to select a helmet from the ‘not recommended’ group this season.”
The NFL and NFLPA said they continue to “raise the bar for what is considered a ‘top-performing’ model.”
“Five of the six new models tested ranked in the ‘top-performing’ group, continuing an unprecedented rate of improvement in helmet performance that is nine times what it had been before the start of the helmet testing program in 2015.
“NFL players are the winners here: Helmets keep getting better and they will continue to get better in the years ahead."
“Helmet models that previously ranked very well have been overtaken by new, better-performing models, (with) six helmets ranked last year as ‘top-performing’ now categorized in the ‘not recommended’ group."
According to Miller, “By sharing this information with helmet manufacturers, we are excited to continue to foster continued innovation that allows players to have more and better choices year after year.”
The NFL-NFLPA said helmet testing results were “based on testing intended to represent NFL impacts and thus, the conclusions on helmet performance cannot be applied to collegiate, high school, or youth football.”
Tests were conducted by an independent helmet testing laboratory.
For the eighth year, the study formulation, experimental design, and data analysis were performed by engineering consultants appointed by the NFL and NFLPA.
An independent biostatistician was retained to assist in the analysis of the data, all per the NFL and NFLPA.
NFL Awards $1.55 Million For New Helmet Designs
Photos: VICIS
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