Patriots' Tom Brady Still Getting Used to New NFL Helmet Rules
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was among the last players adjusting to the NFL's new helmet rules and admitted that he is still working to get used to it, he said on WEEI's "The Greg Hill Show."
His comments come just days after Raiders wide receiver Antonio Brown said that he would not play football again unless he can wear his old helmet. The NFL does not allow players to wear helmets that are not certified by the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment. During the offseason, the NFL and NFLPA updated their list of approved equipment for the upcoming season. Brown and Brady were among the players that were wearing helmets that are now banned by the league.
"I've been experimenting with a couple different ones, and I don't really love the one that I'm in, but I don't really have much of a choice," Brady said. "So I'm just trying to do the best I can to work with it."
"You get used to the same helmet for a long period of time" he added. "My last helmet, I wore it the last four Super Bowls, so it was a pretty great helmet for me. I hated to put it on the shelf. It's kind of what I'm dealing with."
Brady was previously wearing the Riddell VSR-4. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy took to Twitter to explain that players can not practice or play in games with equipment that is not approved: "If he doesn’t play or practice he is in breach of his contract and doesn’t get paid. Nfl policy is that Helmets have to be certified by NOSCAE. They don’t certify equipment that’s old than 10 years."