With the help of engineers and medical experts, he designed a helmet that relies on disc-shaped plastic shock absorbers placed inside the helmet shell instead of foam padding. On impact, the shock absorbers release air like tiny squeeze bottles to reduce the head's acceleration.
Ferrara said the Xenith helps prevent violent movements of the head during low and medium-impact collisions better than other helmets.
"When most people think about the concussions, they think about the guy who's knocked out cold," Ferrara said. "Those are a tiny fraction of the brain injuries that are taking place."
According to Ferrara, the repeated low-energy blows a fullback might encounter during practice every day affect the brain the way steady, repeated jabs affect a boxer. He said the constant jolting can have a cumulative, injurious effect on the brain.
