Junior Year Box Set

“I’ve been holding off on your birthday present,” she started off.

“And here I thought you just didn’t love me anymore.”

“Whatev. Seriously, though. Your mom asked me to research football equipment to find what was safest. I think I found you a football helmet that will reduce your risk of head injuries.”

That caught my attention. There’d been a lot of reports about the dangers of playing football. Most of it was focused on the NFL, but it was an issue at all levels. One of my concerns about making the NFL a career was the possibility of long-term damage to my brain. I’d already had at least one concussion diagnosed.

“You have my interest,” I admitted.

“Here’s the deal. This will have to be like when I bought you that car …”

“I have to pay for it,” I finished the sentence.

“Sorry, but the helmet costs $1,500. I wish I could just go out and buy you one.”

“What makes it so expensive?” I asked.

“They aren’t officially selling them yet. They’re a startup company. Besides the potential to reduce concussions, the helmet provides better peripheral vision, so players can see more of the field and opponents coming at them. They’re running field tests at the Universities of Washington and Oregon right now. Preliminary reports are good, with two issues. The first is forehead discomfort in a handful of players. The other is the upper chinstrap snaps have come undone. That was something they hadn’t seen in the labs,” Tami explained.

“When do they think they’ll have the bugs worked out?”

“Five to six weeks.”

“What has you so excited?” I asked.

“The helmet you’re currently using is based on 1960s technology. It has a hard outer shell and then internal padding. It protects your skull from cracking, but really does nothing to protect the brain. What happens is your brain presses up against your skull on the initial hit, and then when your head snaps back, it bounces off the other side of your skull.

“There have been some advancements, like air padding where you can add or take out air so the helmet fits better. Another solution was to add padding to the exterior of the helmet to help absorb the impact. This company has taken those ideas a step further,” Tami said.

“Who are they?” I asked.

“Vicis, and the helmet is called Zero1,” she said and continued her explanation. “What makes the helmet safer is that it has four layers. The outside works like the bumper on your car. Instead of it bouncing off an object, it gives to absorb impact. The second layer is also designed to reduce impact force. It’s two layers of a rubber-like product that are sandwiched around what looks like rubber tubes. When this is hit, it’s designed to squish to disperse the force. The third layer is a hard plastic shell to prevent your skull from fracturing. The final layer is adjustable inner padding.

“I’ve seen their test results, and those show that less impact is felt. There haven’t been any definitive tests that show this will reduce brain injury. But I think that’s just because they haven’t put the product on the market widely enough, and it’s brand new. Common sense tells me it can only help,” Tami concluded.

“How do I get one?” I asked.

“I told them who you are, and they got excited. They agreed to sell you one as soon as they get the bugs worked out from the field test.”

“I better make sure the NCAA isn’t going to give me a hard time about it if they’re selling me one because of who I am,” I said.

“Caryn is already looking into that with your lawyers. Your dad put her on it,” Tami said.

I was glad to hear they were looking out for me.

“You’re the best. I can’t wait to get it and try it out.”

“You better not tell your mom that part,” Tami warned.

She did have good points more often than not. I would have to keep that our little secret.

◊◊◊ Tuesday August 9

I smiled when my guys hit the lobby in their new clothes. The three amigos all looked good. We all stood out, compared to the other ballplayers. It wasn’t that the others were dressed poorly; they just looked like regular teenage boys.

I wore the sport coat I’d gotten in Japan with the graphic on it. I also wore an Abercrombie light-blue button-up shirt under the jacket, and cream-colored slacks with my new oxblood-red leather tennis shoes. To finish it off, I wore my Japanese designer sunglasses. I’d been warned that the press had been asking about me in Mexico, so I decided to pull out my inner model.

“Did you guys let David get his hands on you?” Allard asked when he saw us.

“He said we have to look like someone a girl will want to date,” Phil said.

“Uh … okay,” was Allard’s witty comeback.

Other players noticed and soon had the three amigos cornered, asking them questions. Allard, Daz, and Austin pulled me aside.

“How come you didn’t invite us for a makeover?” Daz asked.

I think Austin realized how that sounded, and he scowled for a moment, but then nodded.

“I wouldn’t want to look like I was in a boy band,” Allard worried.