VIRGINIA, USA — Football is a game that many of us love and hold close to our hearts, but it could be safer. Th Sports technology company SAFR Sports is trying to achieve that, offering protection to young athletes through their latest helmet cover.
"What our product does is reduce the risk of concussion," said SAFR Sports Board Chair Carlos Bradley. "Football is a collision sport and the game is continuing to get more and more violent."
Bradley is a former NFL linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles and the San Diego Chargers. He said wished this type of protection was around during his career.
"If this product was around in the 80's when I was playing, I definitely believe there would be a lesser degree of CTE," said Bradley.
SAFR's CEO John Ziglinsky says their helmet cover tests better than any other helmet accessory on the market right now, including the Guardian cap, when it comes to concussion reduction at the college and high school levels.
"The helmet alone has a 60% chance of concussion. With the Guardian XT, there was a 50% chance, and with our SAFR helmet covers there's an 8.9% chance."
Carolina Panthers tackle Ikem Ekwonu wore the SAFR Sports helmet cover throughout his career at NC State.
"In terms of how it feels you can't tell a difference with having the cap on and having it off. I feel like we can really be trailblazers here in making the sport much safer," Ekwonu told 13News Now.
SAFR Sports supplies customized helmet covers to many high schools across the country and universities like Virginia Tech. Virginia Tech's Helmet Lab revealed the SAFR helmet cover significantly reduces the risk of concussions against hits from all directions.
"Different positions are prone to different head impacts but across the board we saw reductions. We saw reductions at the low severity impacts, the front of the helmet that offensive lineman or a defensive lineman would see more frequently, but we also saw reductions on the hard impacts to the side of the helmets that you might see with a wide receiver," said Virginia Tech Helmet Lab Director Steve Rowson.
"We're really excited because we think this has huge possibilities for reducing the number of concussions in football," said Virginia Tech Associate Sports Medicine Director Michael Goforth.
Virginia Tech sports medicine personnel hope to see more the SAFR Tech helmet cover in the NCAA. Ekwonu hopes to see it make its way to the NFL.