One of the big pushes across the NFL in recent years has been to improve player safety. After all, there is no NFL without the players who put their bodies on the line on a weekly basis — so continuing to push the limits of safety and protection for players is the only path to choose. We’ve seen rule changes, diminished impact on special teams and new equipment put into play all in the name of improved player safety and now, as has been announced by the NFL, the league will be holding an NFL Helmet Challenge.
According to a release from the NFL on the subject, the NFL Helmet Challenge, which accepted submissions earlier this week is a “multi-year innovation challenge aimed at stimulating the development of a new helmet that outperforms any model currently available to NFL players. An expert panel of judges has been assembled and is ready to award the $1 million prize that is up for grabs.”
Dolphins fans will recognize one of the 11 judges dedicated to finding a winner: former Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington. Pennington, of course, is best remembered in South Florida for his part in authoring the team’s ‘worst to first’ transition in 2008 — winning 11 games just one year after winning one and dethroning the New England Patriots from the division title.
“As our game continues to lead all sports in the development of better equipment to protect players, I’m excited to serve as a judge alongside @OrlandoPace_HOF for the @NFL Helmet Challenge. We’ll be picking the high-tech helmet worthy of $1 million,” wrote Pennington.
Here are the other 10 judges committed to joining Pennington in the NFL Helmet Challenge:
- Cynthia Bir, PhD, Chair and Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering at Wayne State University
- Geoffrey T. Manley, MD, PhD, Chief of Neurosurgery at San Francisco General Hospital and Professor of Neurosurgery at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF)
- Steve Moore, Vice President of Operations at Hydro Massage
- Barry Myers, MD, PhD, MBA, Director of Innovation, Duke CTSI; Coulter Program Director and Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Duke University and a consultant to the NFLPA
- Orlando Pace, NFL Legend and tackle who played in the league for 13 seasons, Hall of Famer
- Thom Parks, Vice President of Corporate Affairs at Bell Sports, Inc.
- Frank A. Pintar, PhD, Professor and Founding Chair, Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering at Medical College of Wisconsin and Marquette University
- Chris Valenti, Denver Broncos Head Equipment Manager
- Beth A. Winkelstein, PhD, Interim Provost, University of Pennsylvania
- Christopher Withnall, Senior Engineer, Biokinetics and Associates Ltd.