The NFL's endorsement of Riddell as the league's official helmet ends after this season. With that in mind, two helmet makers are stepping up to show how their products can protect players from head injuries.
Scripps Howard News Service profiled former NFL player Jason Johnson and his quest to find a better football helmet for his middle school youth football team. He chose the SG model designed by motorsports inventor Bill Simpson.
The SG helmets are made of a carbon-Kevlar composite, which is the same material used in the chasis of NASCAR automobiles.
Meanwhile, the Lowell Sun reported that New England Patriots wide receiver Matthew Slater was the latest NFL player to switch to Xenith helmets, which are manufactured by a Massachusetts company.
-- Bill Bradley, contributing editor
