I-Team: Local Schools Using Subpar Football Helmets

BOSTON (CBS) – Football helmets are the first line of defense for high school football players’ heads and brains. As the focus on concussions has taken a higher profile, so have reviews of the helmets players wear. The I-Team found some local schools using helmets that at least one prominent research facility has deemed unacceptable. On the field, the players are focused on winning. Their parents, on the sidelines, though are often increasingly worried about their safety. Tammy and Pat McLeod say they know firsthand that parents have good reason to worry. “It’s just not worth losing a child to death or severe disability to a sport,” Tammy told WBZ. Their son, Zach McLeod, has permanent brain damage, the result of a seemingly routine hit back in 2008 when he was playing for Buckingham Browne and Nichols. “Some of his doctors believe that his injury was a second impact syndrome,” Pat said. That is when a previous concussion makes a player more susceptible to a serious brain injury. An organization known as NOCSAE has always tested helmets for how they respond to major skull trauma. Until recently, it had been the standard for helmets. However, in more recent years engineers at Virginia Tech University have been rating helmets on how they protect against brain injury. It was a response to a request from that school’s football coach. Now, Dr. Stefan Duma and his team rank a variety of helmet makes and models on a scale from zero stars to fi...
Source: WBZ-TV - Breaking News, Weather and Sports for Boston, Worcester and New Hampshire - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Health Local News Seen On WBZ-TV Syndicated Local Watch Listen Boston Public Schools Concussion Football Football Helmets i-team Lauren Leamanczyk Virginia Tech Source Type: news