Aaron Rodgers has reassuring helmet advice for Antonio Brown
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Antonio Brown isn’t the only All-Pro who needs to switch helmets this season due to the NFL’s safety precautions.
Another player in the same boat is Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers.
“Last year because there’s been such advancements in helmet safety, my helmet was actually in the ‘not-as-safe’ category,” Rodgers said after training camp practice Tuesday. “But anybody wearing that kind [of helmet] got one more year to find a new helmet, and I knew coming in I was gonna have to make a change.”
Rodgers started his career wearing the same model that fellow Packers legend Brett Favre wore, but says he switched to a newer model after suffering two concussions.
“That [helmet] was a little outdated probably,” Rodgers said. “I think around that time, when the CBA got signed, they had some better regulations about the safety quality of the helmets, and I’ve just kinda been up to date for years.”
Now that the model he prefers doesn’t comply with the NFL’s safety precautions, Rodgers is still deciding on a replacement. He has narrowed down his options to two brands — Schutt and VICIS, the latter being a company he has invested in.
When asked about Brown’s protest — the star receiver reportedly threatened to retire if he couldn’t wear his preferred Schutt AiR Advantage helmet — Rodgers conceded that players get somewhat attached to their helmets (emphasis on the word “somewhat”).
“I mean, there’s a connection for a helmet for sure — I love my helmet, every one that I’ve worn,” Rodgers said. “I don’t know if I’d want to retire if I couldn’t wear my helmet; I mean, I obviously didn’t because I’m here today. But I’m sure he can find one eventually that he really likes.”
Rodgers also added that as a matter of practicality, transitioning to a new helmet these days “isn’t difficult at all.”
“The way they make helmets these days, they do a great job of molding it to your head — the fit is spectacular,” Rodgers said. “I can go from this helmet to a VICIS helmet to a different helmet, and as far as the fit is concerned, you don’t really notice the difference at all. It fits really nicely.”
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