ADVANCING
ADVANCING TO KEEP PLAYERS SAFER THAN THEY'VE EVER BEEN.
TONIGHT WE'RE
TAKING A LOOK AT THE
COST-- NOT JUST IN
PURCHASING NEW
HELMETS TO REPLACE
OUT-OF-DATE ONES ---
BUT IN RE-CERTIFYING
THE HELMETS AS
WELL.
KURTIS QUILLIN
JOINS US NOW WITH
PART TWO OF OUR
SERIES TACKLING
SAFETY IN FOOTBALL.
GOOD EVENING
KURTIS.
GOOD EVENING
GUYS.
A NATIONAL
ORGANIZATION IN
CHARGE OF
RECONDITIONING
HELMETS AND
MANUFACTURERS LIKE
RIDDELL SAY A
HELMET'S LIFESPAN IS
NO LONGER THAN TEN
YEARS - DURING
WHICH IT NEEDS TO
BE RE-CERTIFIED
EVERY OTHER YEAR.
BUT HOW MUCH
DOES THAT COST?
AND WHEN BUYING
A HELMET - WHAT
GOES INTO THE
DECISION BESIDES
THE BUDGET?
THE BUDGET?
"THEY
"THEY ACTUALLY HAVE A HELMET THAT'S
SPECIFICALLY
THAT'S SPECIFICALLY FITTED FOR EACH
INDIVIDUAL, BUT
THE COST, IT'S
ABOUT 18-
HUNDRED
DOLLARS."
HUNDRED DOLLARS." FOOTBALL
DOLLARS." FOOTBALL HELMETS ARE
ANYTHING BUT
CHEAP.
"AND YOU WOULD
NEVER WANT TO
PUT YOUR KIDS IN
SOMETHING THAT
WAS A CHEAP
HELMET OR NOT
SOMETHING
WHICH YOU FELT
WAS A GOOD
PRODUCT."
KEVIN HOFFMAN -
THE HEAD FOOTBALL
COACH AND ATHLETIC
DIRECTOR AT TWO-A
MART - SAYS RIDDELL
SETS THE LIFESPAN
OF ITS HELMET AT TEN
YEARS WITH
RECONDITIONING
REQUIRED EVERY
OTHER YEAR.
"EVERY YEAR OUR
HELMET REP WILL
COME BY AND GO
THROUGH THE
HELMETS AND
MAKE SURE THAT
WE HAVE THE
PROPER HELMETS
WITH THE RIGHT
DATES FROM
WHEN THEY WERE
FIRST BOUGHT OR
FIRST USED AND
MAKE SURE
THOSE FALL IN
THE GUIDELINES
OF A HELMET
HAVING A TEN-
YEAR LIFESPAN."
SCOTT STEWART -
THE HEAD FOOTBALL
COACH AND ATHLETIC
DIRECTOR AT SIX-A
TEMPLE HIGH SCHOOL
-
- SAYS
- SAYS HE
- SAYS HE OPERATES ON THE NATIONAL ATHLETIC EQUIPMENT
RECONDITIONERS
ASSOCIATION
RECONDITIONERS ASSOCIATION GUIDELINES - WHICH
UNTIL RECENTLY
STATED THE LIFESPAN
FOR A
RECONDITIONED
HELMET WAS TEN
YEARS.
IN OCTOBER - THE
ASSOCIATION
CHANGED IT TO GO
OFF OF EACH
MANUFACTURER'S
RECOMMENDED
MANUFACTURER'S RECOMMENDED LIFESPAN AND IT'S
STILL MORE STRICT
THAN THE TEXAS
GUIDELINES.
THE UNIVERSITY
INTERSCHOLASTIC
LEAGUE - OR U-I-L -
OVERSEES EXTRA-
CURRICULAR
ACTIVITIES AT PUBLIC
SCHOOLS IN TEXAS.
THE U-I-L DECLINED
AN ON-CAMERA
INTERVIEW BUT A
SPOKESPERSON TOLD
US QUOTE - IT'S
MEDICAL ADVISORY
COMMITTEE MEETS
TWICE EACH YEAR TO
REVIEW U-I-L RULES
RELATED TO HEALTH
AND SAFETY.
STATE LAW IN
TEXAS SAYS THE
STATE'S PUBLIC
SCHOOLS MAY USE A
HELMET UP TO TEN
YEARS WITH
RECONDITIONING
REQUIRED AFTER THE
HELMET IS TEN YEARS
OLD.
AS FOR THE COST
OF RECONDITIONING -
THE BUDGET
DEPENDS ON THE SIZE
OF THE SCHOOL.
"OUR BUDGET
FOR
RECONDITIONING
FOR RECONDITIONING IS 75-HUNDRED
DOLLARS, SO
WE'RE GOING TO
SPEND UP TO
THAT AMOUNT."
MART
RECONDITIONS EVERY
YEAR INSTEAD OF THE
REQUIRED EVERY
OTHER YEAR -
CITING THE NUMBER
OF EXTRA GAMES
THEY PLAY.
BUT THE PANTHERS
ONLY NEED ABOUT
FIFTY HELMETS AT
THE HIGH SCHOOL
LEVEL.
AT TEMPLE - WHICH
NEEDS MORE THAN
THREE HUNDRED
JUST AT THE HIGH
SCHOOL
SCHOOL -
SCHOOL - STEWART SAYS RECONDITIONING
SAYS RECONDITIONING ACCOUNTS FOR 18-
THOUSAND-FIVE-
HUNDRED DOLLARS A
YEAR.
AND BOTH
COACHES SAY TO
HELP EASE THE
BURDEN OF BUYING
REPLACEMENT
HELMETS - THEY BUY
SMALL AMOUNTS
EACH YEAR TO KEEP
IT WITHIN THE
GUIDELINES AND
HAVE THE NECESSARY
NUMBER OF HELMETS.
"WE KIND OF DO IT
IN CHUNKS SO
THAT WE CAN TRY
TO KEEP UP WITH
IT BECAUSE THE
PRICE TAG ON
THOSE THINGS IS
PRETTY HIGH."
WE LOOKED AT THE
COST OF VARIOUS
HELMETS USED AT
THE HIGH SCHOOL
LEVEL.
RIDDELL'S
LEVEL. RIDDELL'S SPEEDFLEX HELMETS
RUN AROUND FOUR
HUNDRED DOLLARS -
THAT'S THE THIRD-
RANKED HELMET IN
THE N-F-L'S LAB
TESTS.
SCHUTT'S NEWEST
HELMET WILL RUN
YOU ABOUT SEVEN
HUNDRED DOLLARS
WHILE THE
VENGEANCE PRO -
ANOTHER HIGHLY-
RANKED HELMET -
RUNS AROUND THREE
HUNDRED.
XENITH HAS TWO
MODELS WHICH
WOULD COST AROUND
THREE-FIFTY OR LESS
AND ITS NEWEST
HELMET WHICH
HASN'T YET HIT
SHELVES - THE
SHADOW - IS JUST
UNDER FIVE HUNDRED
DOLLARS.
MARK HONEYCUTT
IS THE OFFENSIVE
AND DEFENSIVE NE
COACH AT MART AND
EQUIPMENT
SUPERVISOR.
EQUIPMENT SUPERVISOR. WE ASKED HIM
WHAT HE LOOKS FOR
IN
IN A
IN A HELMET. "A HELMET IS DESIGNED TO
TAKE THAT
ENERGY WHEN A
KID GETS HIT AND
DISPERSE THAT
HELMET AROUND.
HOW DOES THAT
HELMET HANDLE
THAT AND WHAT
PARTS ARE GOING
TO WEAR OUT ON
IT AND HOW EASY
IS IT TO REPLACE
THOSE PARTS."
SO - WHEN YOU
COMBINE STATE LAW -
BUDGETS AND
TECHNOLOGY - IT'S
CLEAR KEEPING UP
WITH
WITH HELMETS IN FOOTBALL - DOESN'T COME CHEAP.
"YOU KNOW, I'D
LOVE TO PUT
EVERYBODY IN A
13-HUNDRED-
DOLLAR VICIS,
BUT IT'S JUST, THE
BUDGET WON'T
ALLOW THAT."
ALLOW THAT."
ON
ON OUR
ON OUR WEBSITE - KCEN TV DOT COM - WE HAVE A FURTHER
BREAKDOWN OF THE
COSTS
COSTS OF
COSTS OF VARIOUS MODELS OF HELMETS USED AT ALL LEVELS
OF FOOTBALL AND
THE RAW INTERVIEWS
WITH TEMPLE
ATHLETIC DIRECTOR
SCOTT STEWART AND
MART ATHLETIC
DIRECTOR KEVIN
HOFFMAN ON
EXACTLY HOW THEY
HANDLE KEEPING UP
WITH HELMETS.
GUYS?
GUYS?
GUYS? COMING UP --