Nfl Ignored Warning

A member of a leading head injury research laboratory charged that the NFL ignored his warnings that radio transistors could compromise helmet safety.

The tiny electronic devices, part of the new coach-to-quarterback radio, were implanted in the helmets of every quarterback except Dallas’ Troy Aikman. What followed was dubbed by some as the Year of the Concussion as quarterbacks suffered a rash of head injuries.

Terry Smith of the USC-based Head Protection Research Institute said he told the league its new radios “represented a potential risk for players by compromising the energy-absorbing characteristics of the helmet.”