This spring, football players vying in an instructional league for a shot at the NFL will be wearing a high-tech helmet designed to protect their heads from the hard hits they’ll inevitably encounter on their hopeful path to the pros.
That’s due to an exclusive partnership the helmet’s maker, VICIS, signed with The Spring League. The Spring League is a three-week instructional league that takes place in March and April and provides a platform for pro football hopefuls to demonstrate their skill in front of NFL and CFL scouts. VICIS will provide at least 100 of its Zero1 helmets to the league for players to use during the upcoming season, according to the release.
“We are proud of our partnership with The Spring League and look forward to outfitting their players in 2018,” VICIS CEO Dave Marver said in a statement. “We share the Spring League’s commitment to innovation and applaud the opportunities provided to young players looking to make their mark in professional football.”
The Zero1 is built in four layers, beginning with an outermost “lode shell” designed, like a car bumper, to take a dent in order to absorb impact force. Inside that shell, dozens of columns move and compress to mitigate the effect of both linear and rotational forces that the company’s team of expert physicians and athletic trainers says often lead to concussions. Two inner layers, which come in various sizes according to the players’ head dimensions, work in tandem help cushion the skull and distribute any remaining force evenly across the head.
In fact, the Zero1 helmet came in atop the class in the the NFL/NFLPA joint helmet performance test. Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith are among those who began wearing the Zero1.
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VICIS also very recently made the Zero1 available to high school players — the helmet is designed only for players weighing at least 150 pounds — and the Notre Dame football team was outfitted with the helmet for the 2018 season.
The helmet, which costs $1,500, is the product of a three-year, $20 million research initiative, according to the release. In that vein, it is a recent innovation and a perfect match for the Spring League, whose players can try to work their way onto an NFL roster while keeping their own safety front of mind.
“We see the Spring League as not only an invaluable platform for player development, but also as a vehicle to exploit new technologies,” Brian Woods, The Spring League’s CEO, said in a statement. “Our alignment with VICIS only strengthens our commitment to technological advancement and enhancing player safety at all levels.”