Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is putting his money where his mouth is. The former NFL MVP teamed up with VICIS, a leading football helmet manufacturer, to help bring safer equipment to youth football.
“Developed with the same scientific rigor and creativity as the flagship ZERO1, which ranked first in both 2017 and 2018’s NFL/NFLPA Helmet Laboratory Performance Testing, the ZERO1 Youth is available for team and individual orders as VICIS continues its mission to protect athletes at all levels of play,” VICIS announced on Thursday.
The goal here is to make the game of football safer for youngsters by bringing in the latest technological advancements in the industry. This specific helmet includes a “deformable outer shell and unique columnar layer designed to slow impact forces like a car bumper,” per the announcement.
For his part, Rodgers is excited to be an investor in the new cutting edge helmet.
We invested in VICIS because its commitment to player safety – specifically at the youth level – is one we wanted to support,” Rodgers said. “We look forward to working with VICIS as they continue to develop outstanding technologies for players at all levels.”
It goes without saying that Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) has been a major point of contention around the pro football world in recent years.
It has now expanded to youth football, where players are in the midst of their cognitive development. Some former NFL players have even indicated more than once that they don’t want their children playing football.
Whether this new technology changes anything remains to be seen. But it’s great to see one of the most-popular NFL players get involved.