More NFL Players Expected to Wear Helmet Sensors This Season

More NFL players are likely to wear sensors that assess head impact in games this season as the league and its players union expand a project proponents hope will help them tackle the concussion issue.

Kevin Guskiewicz, a University of North Carolina researcher who’s a member of league and union safety committees, told USA TODAY Sports two companies are “fine-tuning” their head accelerometer devices based on researchers’ feedback in anticipation of wider deployment this fall, with expansion to all 32 teams possible as soon as 2015.

“We need a sample of these players across all positions and studying every play type possible,” Guskiewicz said by phone Sunday night. “So, that’s the next step. Then I hope from there that, if we find (the devices) have utility that could actually help an individual player … my hope would be that we would go league-wide.”

Two NFL teams participated in a pilot project for half of the 2013 season that focused in large part on logistics, Guskiewicz said. The next phase is to find the best technology for assessing head impact biomechanics and collect data that answers questions about potential rule changes that could improve player safety, along with improved equipment design and altered behavior.

Click here to read the full story.

You Might Also Like

New study suggests brain changes in football players who are subject to head impacts

Kentucky girls basketball coach resigns after sexual assault charges

Football field maintenance during the winter months