Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., has asked the Federal Trade Commission to look into the “misleading safety claims” he alleges are being made by helmet makers and refurbishers, according to The New York Times.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/04/sports/football/04helmets.html?ref=todayspaper
The Times reported Tuesday that Udall had written a letter to FTC chairman Jon Leibowitz that charged that ads from the two main helmet manufacturers are deceptive, particularly making false safety claims about helmets for children.
In particular, Udall singled out the National Football League’s official helmet maker, Riddell, for its claim that its Revolver helmets cut concussion risk by 31 perent, The Times reported.
The senator also griped about the sketchy test standards used for new and old helmets.
“Athletes who have already suffered a concussion — as well as their coaches and parents — may be particuarly susceptioble to misleading marketing claims about helmet safety,” Udell said in his letter calling for the FTC to launch an investigation into the matter.
A Riddell executive told The Times that he welcomed the FTC’s scrutiny, while Riddell’s competitor Schutt said that it had never claimed that its helmets were “concussion proof.”
The Times said that 1 million new helmets, priced from $150 to $400 each, are sold each season for the 4.4 million students under 18 who play organized football.
Sen. Udall’s call for an FTC investigation is well-founded, and could end up in the production of safer helmets for our kids as well as pro-football players.
coel says:
If there is any truth to this, personal injury lawyers are going to jump on the lawsuit bandwagon.
4th January 2011 at 1:30 pm