Now, concern turns to football helmetBy Karen Roebuck and Joe StarkeyTRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, June 16, 2006
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger likely will take the field this season wearing a helmet he passedon last year, according to the Steelers' primary helmet supplier.Roethlisberger also may need a hard chin cup, a different face mask and the addition of a face shieldthat extends to at least below the nose to keep wayward fingers from his fractured face, jaws and nose,said Marty Cothern, Riddell key account manager. Riddell is the country's leading manufacturer of football helmets. Steelers trainers contacted him about helmet possibilities after the quarterback'sMonday motorcycle accident, in which Roethlisberger also suffered a minor concussion."They're trying to think ahead of the curve here, and they don't know -- nobody knows -- what the issuesare going to be," he said. "... At that position, it's tough to wear too much, because you have to turnyour head a lot."Big Ben likely will wear the Revolution helmet, which has distinctive muttonchop-like protection overthe jaws and was first introduced five years ago, Cothern said.The helmet was designed to protect players from concussions but also provides the best jaw protectionavailable on a football helmet, he said.The Revolution was made after a study came to the surprising conclusion that 70 percent of players'concussions occurred from blows to the jaw or side of the head, Cothern said."I think that is the helmet he will be wearing going forward," Cothern said.Cothern said the Steelers told him the Revolution fit Roethlisberger best last season, but he opted tostay with Riddell VSR-4 he had been wearing.He said he did not know Roethlisberger's reasons for forgoing the better-fitting helmet, but some NFLplayers do not want to change their equipment because of superstitions and habit.The Revolution also feels different to players, distributing its weight -- 2 ounces less than other helmets -- around the head rather than at the face mask, like those they have worn for years."Sometimes, we don't get a perfect fit with this helmet, and the best protection you can have is a goodfit," Cothern said.Linebackers Joey Porter and James Farrior, safety Troy Polamalu and backup quarterback Charlie Batchwere among the Steelers who wore the Revolution during the team's championship season. Polamalu
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