EAGLE, Idaho — For high schools across the country, student safety is the top priority. That is especially true when student-athletes take the football field.
At the national level, the NFL recently released a new list of helmets that are banned across the league due to inadequate safety technology.
But some of these helmets are still used at the high school level. Today, we learned what necessitates a change in helmets for players at Eagle High School.
For years, scientists have studied the impacts of contact sports on the human brain, leading to advances in helmet technology, an important factor for coaches like James Cluphf at Eagle High School to consider.
"This year we bought twelve Ridell Axioms, the newest technology they have come out with, and so we try to keep those things flowing and watch the pros and see what they do," explained Coach Cluphf.
Last month, the NFL released a list of helmets banned across the league. But some of those brands are still used at the high school level.
Chad Williams, Executive Director of the Idaho High School Activities Association, said, "If they are not certified, then you can't use them."
I visited the IHSAA to talk with Williams about when these helmets meet their final day.
"Ultimately, every helmet must be certified at least every other year," continued Williams. "The life span of a helmet is ten years. Once it reaches ten years old, it cannot be recertified."
Coach Cluphf tells me they do their best to stay on top of that rotation.
The coach added, "For us as a program, we try and replace 20 helmets every year, to make sure it is not all at once when that ten years comes around."
But since the pros play at a higher speed, IHSAA says the findings start in the NFL and will eventually trickle down to lower levels, as they acquire new technologies.
You can find the complete list of banned helmets and the research findings here.
