Why would you avoid using a safer football helmet?

4:22 PM, Aug 30, 2013   |    comments
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Tonight is the first full Friday night of high school football, and there is that chance that a player could suffer a serious injury.

To prevent concussions, there is a new device to protect the head.

Channel 3's John Anderson explains why some schools are actually avoiding it. One coach says that it could make things worse.

We are back to the tackles and the hits of high school football, but in today's game, we keep a close eye on the score and the concussions.

Eastlake North head coach George Burick said "I don't ever want any of our kids to get hurt, our team or their team."

Burick says he suffered dozens of concussions when he played football. He has a huge scar on the back of his head from brain surgery -- a tumor was removed, and doctors still don't know if it was related to all the hits.

Now there's a new device to try and keep football players safe. It's called the Guardian cap, and the extra padding fits over the helmet.

It's supposed to decrease the amount of impact, and the company says it can reduce the risk of concussion by 33 percent.

But the Ohio High School Athletic Association is not endorsing the product, warning high schools that if they use them, they are liable for any injury. They don't want football helmets altered.

The coach agrees, saying it may give a player a false sense of security. 

"We don't want head-to-head contact, and my concern is the kid who has one has a pad on his head, they're going to make head-to-head contact," Burick said.

Instead of relying on technology, the coach says tackling and teaching the right way to do it is the best defense against concussions.

"Bottom line? No helmet is made so you can put your head down and ram into someone or something," Burick said.


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