Helmets draw national notice to IU football

IU’s first nationally televised game is Saturday when they host Penn State, but the Hoosiers first taste of national exposure was last night when CBS Evening News featured their use of cutting-edge helmet technology. \nThe Hoosiers are one of eight teams in the country to use a device called the Sideline Response System (SRS). The device alerts trainers of possible concussions by measuring hits and sending a signal when a player absorbs a substantial hit to the head. Sensors inside the player’s helmet measure the impact and send the signal. \nIU head football trainer Brian Lund said the team implemented the SRS in their helmets last season.\n“It was a collaborative effort between the equipment staff, the sports medicine staffs, the administration and the coaches,” Lund said. “It was a group effort.”\nLund said that the sensors measure linear acceleration and the impact of hits in g-forces. If a player gets hit with an impact greater than 98 g’s, the trainers will automatically be paged. Lund also said his page has gone off with impacts as low as 6 g’s. \n“It lets us watch players the rest of the game or practice and see how are they acting,” Lund said. “Are they constantly squinting? Do they look like a fighter who took too many punches? It lets us keep a better eye on that player and prevent that warrior mentality.”\nIU offensive line coach Bobby Johnson said after the trainers are beeped for a certain player, they do a good job of approaching that player discretely to see if he is showing signs of a concussion. \n“The trainers don’t want to overstep their bounds,” Johnson said. “They just want to be there to help prevent an injury.”\nAlthough the trainers have found the SRS to be a valuable tool, it isn’t mandatory for every player to have in their helmets. Junior wide receiver James Hardy is one of the Hoosiers who elects to not have the SRS in his helmet. Hardy said that when he tried it, the device in his helmet gave him headaches. Despite not personally being a fan of the SRS, Hardy said he understands the value and importance it may have for football.\n“It’s a good thing for Division I (football) because a lot of times some guys have concussions and don’t even realize it until later on that evening or the next day,” Hardy said. “So it’s a positive, but my job is not to get hit like that.”\nMinnesota is the only other school in the Big Ten that currently uses the SRS. Lund said part of the reason so few teams have it is because of the cost. Each new system costs $50,000. He also said Riddell helmets are the only helmets compatible with the SRS, so schools that don’t use the brand don’t have access to the device. While less than 10 Division I schools are currently using SRS, Lund said he expects there to be more in the future.\n“I think (more teams will use the device) as it gets more cost effective and more teams can afford it,” Lund said. “We’re providing and aiding a total body of knowledge. We’re providing data to aid not only us, but future teams that use the system.”