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On Tuesday, January 19, 2016, NBC-2 News reported that a Seattle, Washington-based helmet company, VICIS, just released its new football helmet which the company says may be the safest in the world in protecting football players from brain injuries. The helmet has four layers; a semi-soft shell, an impact-absorbing layer, an inner shell to prevent skull fractures, and a layer that helps improve the fit of the helmet. The Seattle company is still undergoing a final safety test; however, if the helmet passes, the company hopes to have NFL and college athletes using the helmets in the 2016 football season.

In the NFL, brain trauma affects one in three players according to the New York Times. In the 2014 season alone, there were 265 concussions diagnosed while in 2013 there were 228. Brain trauma may not be evident immediately but occur over a player’s lifetime.

Sports and brain trauma is not a new story. The U.S. football leagues have been facing the controversy of brain-damaged players at all levels over the years. In fact, the National Football League is facing a class-action lawsuit from hundreds of former players.

Reports have said that the American and National leagues are funding research on the problem. Football helmet manufacturers are searching for the innovation needed to protect football players.

A new helmet design alone may not eliminate football brain injuries, but it may help. There is no magical formula to prevent football head injuries. In addition to equipment, there needs to be good diagnoses and treatments. The NFL has given the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health a $30 million unrestricted grant to fund advanced basic medical research on brain injuries. The focus is to be on athletes and veterans.

GE (General Electric), Armour, along with the NFL launched the Head Health Initiative, a four-year $60 million collaboration which will accelerate the diagnosis and improvement treatment for traumatic brain injury.

A number of policy changes have been made by the NFL and NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) to make playing football safer. These include changes making it illegal for players to intentionally hit another player head-to-head and striking a defenseless player to reduce injuries. Independent certified athletic trainers also now have the authority to call medical time-outs.

Education also is critical in the prevention of sports injuries. There is a program sponsored by the NFL called, Heads Up Football. This program trains and certifies coaches, players, and trainers in tackling and blocking techniques, appropriate contact practice schedules, proper equipment fitting, and how to recognize and treat concussions according to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.) 

“We at Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A. are cautiously optimistic about the success of the new four-layer helmet. Should this helmet pass the required final test, we anticipate it's being used more extensively,” said Fort Myers Sports Injury Attorney, Randall Spivey.

Fort Myers Sports Injury Attorney,  Randall L. Spivey is a Board Certified Trial Attorney – the highest recognition for competence bestowed by the Florida Bar and a distinction earned by just one percent (1%) of Florida attorneys.  He has handled over 2,000 personal injury and wrongful death cases throughout Florida.  For a free and confidential consultation to discuss your legal rights, contact the Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A., in Lee County at 239.337.7483 or toll-free at 1.888.477.4839, or by email to Randall@SpiveyLaw.com.  Visit SpiveyLaw.com for more information.  You can contact Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A.in Charlotte County at 941.764.7748 and in Collier County at 239.793.7748.