Neal (Arizona): I thought, "Wow, common sense has popped up." That's not to say I think our situation here is unsafe -- today's helmets are fantastic. I know they're all properly fit and worn. But I do have concerns about all these helmets -- when does it stop? To me, we're going 100 miles an hour with this thing, and a rule like the NFL came up with, I see that as slowing it down. That's why I see it as common sense. I do understand the importance of recruiting, and I think that's 95 percent of the whole deal with all these helmets, but at some point it's like an arms race.
I'm old enough to remember the old tear-away jerseys, where you'd go through seven or eight jerseys per player. And one reason the NCAA eliminated those was that it wasn't fair to everyone, because not every school could afford that. It was a cost issue. And I have to wonder about that same thing with these helmets and uniforms, because it takes ridiculous amounts of money. I'd rather see us go back to one helmet, home and away jerseys, home and away pants, and leave it at that.
Freeman (UNC): There's differing opinions [on using one helmet as opposed to using multiple helmets]. Until the NCAA steps in and says something or provides some research or a study, it's hard to say which way to go. Like I said, we use those concussion sensors in our helmets, and we're involved with all the concussion research they do here at UNC, so that's something we take very seriously. I think the NFL is doing what it thinks is in the best interests of its players. But until I see something that tells me otherwise, I feel comfortable with what we're doing. If I didn't, I'd voice my concern. Same goes for our athletic trainer.
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