Our Head, Neck, and Spine Committee, chaired by Drs. Hunt Batjer and
Richard Ellenbogen, and the Player Safety Advisory Panel, chaired by
John Madden and Ronnie Lott, have recommended that players no longer
wear different helmets as part of a “Throwback” or "Third" uniform.
Our office supports this change and has reviewed it with the chairman of
our Health and Safety ownership committee, Dr. John York, who concurs
with this recommendation.
We have communicated the change to those teams that are planning to
wear throwback uniforms for at least one game this season. Teams may
continue to wear throwback uniforms under league guidelines, but players
must wear their regular helmets. The outside of the helmet can be
modified by removing or replacing decals, as long as it does not affect the
integrity of the helmet.
The committees believe that a cautious approach to the changing of
helmets is an important best practice for player safety.