Denver Broncos to donate 15,000 high-tech helmets to Colorado schools
Through a partnership with Riddell and the Colorado High School Activities Association, the Denver Broncos Foundation will supply all 277 high schools in the state with new, high-tech helmets. They're calling it "All in. All covered."
The helmets will be custom fit to each athlete's head based on scans and equipped with special technology that monitors collisions when they happen.
"That's the part where everyone's, like, stoked about, just the feeling of getting it custom to your head. Most kids, they don't really know what helmet size they are. They have to try them on. Sometimes your helmet's a little too big or too small. So it's going to be a perfect fit," said Christian Caracostas, sophomore varsity football player at Ponderosa High School.
High school football players in all 277 high schools in Colorado will soon have some new headgear.
"It's a huge deal for any program. Most districts are moving away from funding athletics. Most athletics, depending on the district, are self-funded programs where you have to fundraise, and parents have to pay dues and you have to sell sponsorships, and it's really a huge part of our job. So to be able to, as a 4A program, get 21 helmets a year for the next four years is really incredible, really impactful," said Jaren Cohen, head varsity football coach at Ponderosa High.
Over the course of four years, the Broncos will give out more than 15,000 Riddell Axiom Smart Helmets.
"Every single helmet is equipped with a five-sensor point technology that is Insight Analytics," said Allie Engelken with the Denver Broncos Foundation.
Schools will also get a sideline device and a four-year subscription to Insight Analytics.
"Which basically is turned on before practice or a game, and will buzz with the player's name that's attached to it if there's an impact that needs to be checked out," Cohen said.
The ability for coaches to monitor where and how hard a helmet is hit enhances work they've already been doing to make play safer.
"I think the sport is as safe as it's ever been. And with the Broncos donating these helmets, it's only going to get safer," Cohen said.
"I remember, like, hearing about how safe they were and how this new technology, like, the head hitting and making sure no concussions were happening, and that's a big thing. I don't really want to develop CTE and ruin my life," Caracostas said. "I'm just glad I'm going to be able to have one to protect my head."
The number of helmets given to each school will be based on average roster size. Schools will be in charge of determining which students get the helmets if they don't have enough for all teams. Once an athlete graduates, their helmet can be refit for another student.
"I feel like a collective 'wow' would be in order. It is a little hard to wrap your mind around an initiative that will have the kind of impact this will have," said Mike Krueger with CHSAA. "This is more than just handing schools a football helmet. The technology that comes with this, the gold standard that was picked to share with students, there's an athlete health and wellness component here."
The largest philanthropic investment in Broncos history is an effort to remove barriers and make play safer for the next generation of Colorado athletes.
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