When Antonio Brown lost his grievance against the NFL over hopes of wearing his preferred helmet, that was supposed to be the end of it. Brown would have to find a different helmet.
But thanks to some due diligence from a random NFL fan, Brown apparently can wear a Schutt Air Advantage helmet if he’s able to find one that was manufactured after 2010. The helmet, as Schutt explained, was discontinued in 2011. A helmet can’t be older than 10 years old to get certified for NFL use.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio explained what unfolded during his NBCSN show on Tuesday. Basically, a PFT reader got in contact with the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE) and asked if they would certify a helmet for Brown if he could find one that was manufactured in the 10-year window.
That’s amazing.
According to The Big Lead, Florio described the fan as an “obsessed helmet hobbyist.”
But really, it makes you wonder why Brown and his team didn’t think of this in the first place. They could have avoided the whole ordeal with the grievance had they worked with Schutt to find a 2010 Air Advantage. Having heard of this loophole, Brown took to Twitter in hopes of finding an eligible Air Advantage helmet in his size.
Still, Brown would probably be better off just finding a new helmet model that he likes (or can tolerate) because this solution really buys him an extra year.
