Antonio Brown won't give up on his quest to wear his preferred helmet this season. Brown threatened to retire and filed a grievance with the NFL after the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE) refused to certify his Schutt AiR Advantage helmet because it was too old. Brown can't get a newer model because the company no longer manufactures that helmet.
Brown lost his grievance and agreed to return to training camp with a new helmet. Brown still has one last hope to find a Schutt AiR Advantage that NOCSAE would certify. The Raiders wide receiver posted a plea for help on Twitter.
"I'm looking for a Schutt Air Advantage Adult Large Helmet that was manufactured in 2010 or after. In exchange I will trade a signed practice worn @Raiders helmet."
Even if Brown does manage to find a Schutt AiR Advantage, it is unclear if NOCSAE would certify it. Schutt discontinued the helmets in 2009, though they did manufacture a small number of them until 2011.
"There was nothing wrong with the Air Advantage,"Glenn Beckmann, Schutt's director of marketing communications told ESPN. "It had just outlived its life."
Brown argues that newer helmets restrict his vision, making it hard for him to see the ball when he's running down the field. He also says that he felt safer while wearing the helmet.
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