NFL, union introduce new helmet to prevent QB concussions such as Tua Tagovailoa’s
The NFL and NFL Players Association on Thursday announced that a new quarterback-specific helmet designed to prevent concussions will be available for the 2023 season.
According to a new release, the helmet, named the “VICIS ZERO2 MATRIX QB,” performed 7 percent better in quarterback-specific testing than the most popular helmet worn by quarterbacks last season.
The addition of a quarterback-specific helmet comes two years after the league also introduced helmets tailored to offensive and defensive linemen.
“Helmets customized to the unique experiences of a position group promotes player safety,” Jeff Miller, NFL executive vice president overseeing player health and safety, said in the release. “This is the next evolution in a rapidly advancing market for improved helmets. We’re proud to share the data necessary to design and build better equipment.”
According to the release, half of all quarterback concussions occur when their helmets hit the ground.
Head injuries in the NFL returned to the forefront of discussion in 2022 after Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa hit his head on the ground and was carted off the field on a stretcher in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals in September. This came just four days after he hit his head, stumbled and was allowed to return to a game against the Buffalo Bills.
This sparked an investigation into the handling of Tagovailoa’s suspected injury in the Buffalo game. The league and players union announced that the league’s step-by-step protocol was followed but the protocol was altered, adding a new “no-go” symptom, ataxia, which would have kept Tagovailoa out of the Bills game and likely sidelined him for the Bengals game. Ataxia is an abnormality of balance/stability, motor coordination or dysfunctional speech caused by a neurological issue.
Tagovailoa was diagnosed with his second concussion one day after a Christmas Day loss to the Green Bay Packers. Tagovailoa’s season effectively ended, as he missed the final three games, including a season-ending loss to the Bills.
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel and general manager Chris Grier said in an end-of-season news conference in January that medical professionals told them Tagovailoa is not any more prone to concussions. They also noted that the helmet Tagovailoa has been wearing is one of the “higher-rated helmets” in the league. It is unclear if Tagovailoa will switch to the new quarterback-specific helmet ahead of the 2023 season.
Tagovailoa has also been partaking in jiu jitsu this offseason to work on the way he lands when he falls and avoid head injuries.
Diagnosed concussions increased by about 18 percent during the 2022 regular season, which NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said was the result of the change in protocol that allowed for more screenings and allowed medical personnel to flag more concussions.
