{"id":75256,"date":"2025-08-17T14:53:07","date_gmt":"2025-08-17T14:53:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/75256\/"},"modified":"2025-08-17T14:53:07","modified_gmt":"2025-08-17T14:53:07","slug":"aaron-rodgers-helmet-shuffle-heads-nfl-gear-safety-debate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/75256\/","title":{"rendered":"Aaron Rodgers Helmet Shuffle Heads NFL Gear Safety Debate"},"content":{"rendered":"

Aaron Rodgers<\/a> is still adjusting to his new environment in Pittsburgh. The list of challenges includes his workwear, as the quarterback tries to find a suitable helmet.<\/p>\n

The Steelers signal-caller can no longer sport the helmet he wore last season<\/a>, the Schutt Air XP Pro Q11 LTD, because it was banned this offseason (along with six other models) for failing to meet the NFL and NFLPA\u2019s new safety standards.<\/p>\n

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So, Rodgers has been practicing in the Schutt Air XP Pro VTD II, which he doesn\u2019t like. He told reporters earlier this week that it \u201clooks like a damn spaceship out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

The four-time NFL MVP isn\u2019t new to helmet gripes, as he was mandated to change when the NFL banned his preferred option in 2019. He\u2019s the latest star QB forced to find a replacement as the league evaluates helmets with greater scrutiny in its annual tests.<\/p>\n

\u201cI get it\u2014he wants to wear what he\u2019s always worn and what he\u2019s been successful wearing,\u201d Guardian Sports co-founder and CEO Erin Hanson said in a phone interview. \u201cTo him, it\u2019s about that, but I respect what the NFL is doing, which is putting incredibly smart people on the task of testing these helmets and vetting new innovations.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Hanson, whose family-owned company produces Guardian Caps, soft-shelled pads worn over helmets, believes it\u2019s imperative for players to understand that some of their favorite headgear isn\u2019t the safest on the market even if it\u2019s comfortable.<\/p>\n

\u201cTradition and superstition are one thing, but the [NFL] is very invested in their safety and has to make changes as innovations come,\u201d she said. \u201cI get both sides of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Former NFL stars like quarterback Tom Brady and wide receiver Antonio Brown were also frustrated about being forced out of their preferred helmet option. Brown, then a wideout on the Raiders, even threatened to retire over the issue.<\/p>\n

Rodgers, the oldest player in Steelers franchise history at 41, is part of a fading generation of NFL players who have played in helmets that today are considered unsafe.<\/p>\n

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Rodgers\u2019 helmet shuffle is part of the NFL\u2019s drive to evolve its gear, an endeavor that recent NFL rookie classes hardly bat an eye at. The league says its efforts are underpinned by performance testing. This is coupled with helmet manufacturers better explaining the benefits of their products to league officials and equipment managers who more often are embracing related data.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe educational part has grown a great deal,\u201d former Riddell Sports CEO J.C. Wingo said in an interview. \u201cBut you still have veteran players say, \u2018This is what I [want] to wear.\u2019 \u2026 You have so many young gunslingers now, you don\u2019t hear any of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rodgers<\/a>, who has been testing different helmets since joining the Steelers in June, told reporters he\u2019s been wearing Schutt for 20 years. His relationship with the company extends off the field, as Rodgers was previously an investor in rival helmet company Vicis, a startup later acquired by Certor Sports, the parent company of Schutt.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey sure don\u2019t want him going over to another branded helmet,\u201d said Wingo, who once served as the executive vice president of product development at Schutt. \u201cHe was our poster boy, and you don\u2019t want to let him go. It trickles down to the colleges, high schools and youth players. So [potentially] losing a superstar like that is a big blow.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The improved helmet safety guidelines extend beyond the pro ranks. Researchers at Virginia Tech recently made headlines for their lab developing a STAR system that evaluates helmets, with five stars being the highest standard. Manufacturers are taking notice, while the league works with biomechanical experts and others to reduce head impact severity.<\/p>\n

Though frustrated, Rodgers says it shouldn\u2019t be too difficult to adapt. He still has time to decide what helmet model he wants to roll with before the Steelers\u2019 season-opening game against his former New York Jets on Sept. 7.<\/p>\n

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