Chicago office last week, Batjer greeted me outfitted in hospital scrubs, since he’d perform surgery later that morning. At 6-foot-4 and with a smooth Texan baritone, Batjer conveys an authority that’s critical in assessing how the NFL plans to actively reduce the occurrence of severe head trauma.

The Safety Committee boasts several subcommittees, which adds up to an unprecedented interdisciplinary research endeavor for a professional sports league.

For Batjer, the effort goes back to when he first met NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. In their first meeting, Batjer flat-out told Goodell that he had zero interest in taking a perfunctory position. Goodell replied, “Doc, we just want you to do the right thing. It’s all about the players.”

The first day of this week’s meeting is split into two sessions. Presentations by the helmet manufacturers (Riddell, Adams, Schutt and Xenith) plus makers of sensor systems that gather helmet-collision impact data (X2 Impact, Simbex and the Cleveland Clinic) will take up the morning. In the afternoon, panel discussions will cover such topics as lab-testing of football helmets, addressing shortcomings of concussion prevention and looking at on-field testing of helmet and head impacts, in both football practices and games. (And Batjer fully believes this last part will commence at the beginning of next season.)

There will also be a discussion of new materials for football helmets. Jeff Ling from Darpa will be on hand for that, and the plan is to discuss potential collaboration on materials science and development between the NFL and the United States military.

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Authors: Brad Stenger

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