Considering the data, sports protective brands offer full support
GLEN MILLS, PA / ACCESSWIRE / June 12, 2018 / A class-action lawsuit was recently filed on behalf of two families and their minor female soccer players in the U.S. District Court of Western Pennsylvania against the United States Soccer Federation and the U.S. Youth Soccer Association. The suit seeks to make compulsory the wearing of protective headgear as a mandated piece of equipment for all soccer players. The two sanctioning bodies are cited as negligent for their failure in protecting players against the risk of concussions when suitable and proven headgear exists. Both Unequal Technologies and LDR Headgear have released statements in support of the class action suit.
"For what I find to be illogical reasons, the shins have enjoyed mandatory protection for decades in soccer while the head has been an afterthought," stated Rob Vito, CEO of Unequal and maker of Unequal Halo soccer headgear. "That this class-action lawsuit has been filed speaks to the urgent need for a new policy addressing this very important safety issue effecting millions of our nation's youth soccer athletes. This hopefully will be a wake-up call for soccer governing bodies to finally take action to mitigate what have become oppressive stats for players not wearing headgear, especially girls."
The two named defendants in the suit, the U.S. Soccer Federation and the U.S. Youth Soccer Association, have 21 days to answer the filed complaint or file a motion under Rule 12 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. A core issue that will be decided is whether or not the two defendants have adhered to the duty of care doctrine, which explicitly states a legal obligation imposed on an individual or organization, requiring adherence to a standard of reasonable care when asking others to perform any acts that could foreseeably create harm.
LDR Headgear, maker of the Soccer XP Headband, also weighed in on the importance of the issue. "In the sport of wrestling, we have seen a significant decrease in head impact injuries from the athletes wearing our added protection," stated Lawrence Marchionda, co-owner of LDR Headgear. 'Likewise, in soccer, all athletes who have been wearing head protection agree it offers added protection which can never be argued. To date, no 'Gladiator Effect' has been studied or quantified. The medical community does not recognize the advantages of added protection for athletes playing soccer. We at LDR believe the head is far more important protecting than the ears in wrestling or shins in soccer, and the federations should be held accountable for not making head protection mandatory."
Unequal's full line of Halo headgear and LDR's Soccer XP Headband both recently received top ratings from University of Virginia Tech Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics. The study's results are the first independent ratings assigned to the evaluation of protective headgear for soccer players.
A trial date has not been set. For more information, please visit https://unequal.com/shop/halo and www.leaderheadgear.com.
About Unequal
Invented by company founder and CEO Rob Vito, Unequal is military-grade protection that has been modified for sport. With over 100 patents in the U.S. and abroad, Unequal is fortified with protective technology like no other. From the World Cup to the NFL to collegiate, high school and youth league players, Unequal protects.
Unequal's military-grade composites are built with TriDur, Accelleron, Airilon and optional ImpacShield. This ultralight, ultrathin athletic gear works differently than virtually every other traditional foam and plastic of equal weight and thickness on the market. It absorbs, disperses and dissipates impact energy away from the body to provide the ultimate in protection. Unequal does not compromise mobility and bolsters confidence, allowing athletes to play at a higher level.
About LDR Headgear
LDR Headgear designs, tests and manufactures sports impact protection equipment for the athletes' head and other parts of the body. The aim is to reduce the impact that athletes see while playing their respective sports without reducing their ability to participate and excel in that sport. The athletes themselves test out our designs in their respective sports. The three founders of LDR all played contact sports at an All-American, International or Professional level and we understand the importance of testing our ideas at that level of very high performance. LDR Headgear is committed to manufacturing quality products and reducing the impact athletes see in their sports.
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SOURCE: Unequal