Eagle-eyed NFL viewers weren’t mistaken in spotting Tom Brady’s surprisingly traditional look.
The New England Patriots quarterback wore an older-model helmet last Sunday during his team’s Week 12 win over the New York Jets. Instead of using the Riddell Precision Fit Speed Flex helmet he has worn since preseason, Brady covered his head with Riddell’s VSR-4 helmet, a model the NFL will ban players from using after this season because it performed poorly on impact and other safety tests.
Brady on Thursday night explained to Westwood One Radio’s Jim Gray why he reverted to the older helmet and revealed he’ll petition the NFL to continue using it beyond the current season.
“Yeah, I’ve gone back-and-forth quite a bit,” Brady said, per WEEI’s Ryan Hannable. “You know, the old one has just treated me so well over the years, so hopefully I can get grandfathered in. That’s what I’m going to try to do this offseason, see if I can keep playing with it. I love the way it fits. I love the way it feels. It’s been a great helmet for me. So I’ve just been thinking about it and think that’s what works the best for me as we continue on this season.”
As the issue of players’ safety becomes increasingly important to the NFL, it’ll be interesting to see how the league weighs a request from one of its iconic players against its own responsibility to protect him.
