Holy Cross' helmets

San Antonio Express News



July 12, 2017 Wednesday

State Edition



Time to trade in the old helmet



BYLINE: Roy Bragg, Staff Writer




HIGHLIGHT: Roy BraggLet us now consider the regal splendor of the 1971 Buick Centurion hardtop sedan, Detroit's attempt to make grandma look cool. The Centurion stood out among the onslaught of smaller cars hitting the market at the time. It was large like the other Big Boats of previous decades, but had a sportier design.





Roy BraggLet us now consider the regal splendor of the 1971 Buick Centurion hardtop sedan, Detroit's attempt to make grandma look cool. The Centurion stood out among the onslaught of smaller cars hitting the market at the time. It was large like the other Big Boats of previous decades, but had a sportier design. From a safety perspective, it was a car that made a statement and the statement was "I double-dog dare you to hit me with your Ford Pinto."


This was the folly of older, bigger cars. They gave a false impression of safety. And while a Pinto might have rolled off and exploded, as they were wont to do, the Buick wasn't safe in other collisions. Why? The same big steel box that looked safe really wasn't because it was a big steel box. Like other cars of its era, it had no airbags, no protective steel cage around the passenger compartment. It had seat belts, but usage was not mandatory. All of that meant that in a collision, the force of impact tossed people around like dice in a Yahtzee cup. And if the speed or force of impact was high enough, that steel frame crumpled. I mention this because the 2017 football season begins unofficially this week with Southeastern Conference Media Days.

NFL training camps will begin soon. After, high schools and colleges will begin practicing in pads. And while the nation's favorite sport begins play and hope springs eternal, the game goes forward under a sword of Damocles known as head trauma. Studies show nearly half of high school football players suffer some degree of concussion over four years on the gridiron. There's now a greater awareness of what that does to a kid and how it can kill them when they get older. Many teams will have four or five special uniforms for special games. And even though the accompanying helmets will look cool, they'll be basically the same old Buick Centurion that players have worn for years. Inside that helmet, regardless of how strong the plastic is and how much padding holds it in place, a player's brain will still rattle around like those Yahtzee dice if the hit is hard enough. "The football helmet," says Jared Peeples, "is meant to protect the skull. And it does that. It doesn't protect the brain." Enter the ProTech, a protective layer of plastic similar to memory foam, fitted and designed to wrap around the exterior of a football helmet. Soft and slick to the touch, it works in several ways. Peeples, who sells ProTech for manufacturer Defend Your Head, has already bought some for his football-playing sons. The ProTech, Peeples explained, absorbs the force of a hit, acting like an auto air bag. After that, the ProTech gives way, sliding an inch or so. That diverts force away from the head, much like the frame of a modern-day car. And because the ProTech's surface is slick, there's less friction, meaning glancing blows roll off as if you've simonized that Buick. Conditions vary based on the size, speed and angle of impact, but studies provided by the company show the ProTech can cut the severity of a hit by 60 percent. It's not a cheap solution, but it's not prohibitive, either. A single ProTech runs around $149. And there are volume discounts for teams, People said. Holy Cross High School will have the ProTech covers for its football team this year. While the school didn't have the budget for 40 helmet covers, two parents of current players stepped up and paid for them. Other area schools are considering ProTech.

A handful of teams around the country already use them, including College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, and Roman Catholic High School in Philadelphia. "We decided," said Roman Catholic coach Jim Murphy, "that this was in the best interest of the kids." Safety helmets have been the missing piece of the new paradigm for football safety. Rules have been changed to prohibit targeting with helmets. More coaches are returning to basics, teaching kids the fundamentals of a safe tackle. Several area school districts mandate baseline brain examinations of prospective players, which give physicians a reference point if they suspect head trauma. The post-concussion protocol put in place by various leagues and ruling bodies are iron-clad. No coach, parent or kid can talk their way out of the process. Football should be a life-changing experience, not a life-ending one.

Put another way, you may love your old big boat Buick Centurion, but not enough to go down with the ship. rbragg@express-news.net Twitter: @roybragg