Rawlings Signs Ronnie Brown, Frank Gore To Endorse Protective Football Apparel

ST. LOUIS, MO – Rawlings® has announced the signing of professional football running backs Ronnie Brown and Frank Gore to endorsement contracts for Rawlings Skeletal Responsive Gear (SRG) protective apparel.

Brown and Gore, both existing users of Rawlings protective apparel in-game and during practices, will be appearing in the company’s print and digital marketing materials and promotions, including a new video at www.RawlingsFootball.com that highlights the unique attributes of the Rawlings SRG protective apparel product line, available in youth and adult sizes.

“Ronnie Brown and Frank Gore represent more than 200 pro football players who have already committed to Rawlings SRG protective apparel as their preferred protective apparel on game days and throughout the practice week,” said Mike Thompson, senior vice president of marketing for St. Louis-based Rawlings, a subsidiary of Jarden Team Sports. “Enhanced by PORON® XRDTM and ZoombangTM, Rawlings SRG protective apparel is faster, lighter and stronger than the competition, and we receive weekly validation of its performance capabilities throughout the football season. We’re excited to add Ronnie and Frank to our Football Advisory Staff as we continue our commitment to develop equipment and apparel that fully meets the protective needs of today’s athlete at all levels.”

Rawlings has selected Brown to represent the PORON® XRDTM line while having Gore headline the ZoombangTM line, aligning each product’s core attributes closely with each player’s running style – the speed of Brown and the power of Gore.

The performance attributes of the proprietary materials featured in the Rawlings SRG protective apparel lines separate the line from similar products from other manufacturers. The signature feature of PORON® XRDTM Protection is its rate dependency that absorbs up to 90 percent of force* without breaking down over time. The enhanced absorption capabilities of PORON® XRDTM Material allow for a thinner amount of padding to be used in the products, making them 34-percent lighter than the next lightest competing product.

ZoombangTM is soft and fluid-like to the touch, but upon impact its molecules lock together to spread the shock across the padding before returning to its original state after impact.

Continuing its commitment to provide the best protection to athletes at all levels, Rawlings announced in September the launch of a multi-year interdisciplinary research collaboration with the Cleveland Clinic Neurological Institute and its Spine Research Laboratory to study the causes of concussions along with other sports-related head and neck injuries. Cleveland Clinic will be conducting independent testing on all brands of football and baseball headgear using research equipment manufactured and donated by Rawlings.

Rawlings announced in July the company’s re-entry into the football protective headwear industry with the Neuro Responsive Gear (NRG) helmet series, currently on high school, collegiate and professional practice fields this season leading up to its full launch next March. Rawlings is the official batting helmet of Major League Baseball (MLB) and has supplied every Minor League Baseball (MiLB) team and player with the new S100 batting helmet – designed to protect up to speeds of 100 miles per hour – now mandatory throughout MiLB.

*As measured according to ASTM F1614-C

PORON and XRD are licensed trademarks of Rogers Corporation
Zoombang is a licensed trademark of Impact Innovative Products LLC