NFL testing new protective facemasks with surgical or N95 material

[ROD-BOT]

NFL testing new face masks with surgical material

NFL engineers and sports equipment company Oakley are testing prototypes of modified face masks that might contain surgical or N95 material, the NFLPA's medical director said Monday.

www.espn.com

NFL testing new protective facemasks with surgical or N95 material

NFL engineers and sports equipment company Oakley are testing prototypes of modified facemasks that may contain surgical or N95 material, the NFLPA's medical director said Monday.

Speaking on Monday's The Adam Schefter Podcast, Thom Mayer said "there will probably be a recommendation" that the NFL will use such masks to protect players from the coronavirus when the league returns to play.

"Back in early March, I had suggested that we should consider novel and emerging ways to handle the helmets and the facemasks and the spread of the virus," Mayer said. "And these guys, the bioengineers that we use and that the league uses -- Oakley, as you may or may not know, does all the face visors for the league under contract -- these guys got the bit between their teeth."

Mayer said he wasn't sure exactly how the modifications would look, but he acknowledged that it is realistic to think that the new designs could cover a player's entire facemask, and that the engineers were working on all such a design might entail.

"They've got some prototypes; they're doing really good work," he said. "Some of them, when you first look at them, you think, 'Gosh, no' -- 'cause you're not used to seeing it; you're just not used to seeing it. But they're looking at every issue you can imagine, including when it fogs up. What do we do with that? But these guys are used to dealing with this stuff."

Oakley has experience designing durable eyeglasses that won't fog up for use by the military, Mayer said.

Mayer also advised players who may have elevated risk factors to be constantly aware of doing everything possible to prevent exposure to the coronavirus.

"For a player like that, getting the helmet off, putting a mask on right afterwards, maintaining social distancing when not in the field as much as possible, using single-use hydration, whether water, Gatorade, whatever it might be -- I mean, just every little detail," he said.

"Anybody who's got a risk, I would advise them to be zealous, religious and frankly, almost maniacally committed to minimizing the chance of spreading the virus."

 

[CGI_Ram]

Prototype #1:

 

[HE WITH HORNS]

If people refuse to go along with this nonsense, it will go away. And not a second sooner.

 

[Ram Ts]

If people refuse to go along with this nonsense, it will go away. And not a second sooner.

Ummm , what?!?

 

[badnews]

If people refuse to go along with this nonsense, it will go away. And not a second sooner.

Remember when AIDS was a big scare but everybody just kept on sleeping around without protection and now it's gone

 

[HE WITH HORNS]

Remember when AIDS was a big scare but everybody just kept on sleeping around without protection and now it's gone

I remember specifically when I was a kid, they told us we all were going to die from AIDS, and there was no cure. Now 30 years later, hardly anyone died from it, and it's nowhere near the scary thing they were talking about.

 

[badnews]

I remember specifically when I was a kid, they told us we all were going to die from AIDS, and there was no cure. Now 30 years later, hardly anyone died from it, and it's nowhere near the scary thing they were talking about.

It took 30 years to make it the way it is today.

 

[fearsomefour]

This is stupidity.

 

[RhodyRams]

Please tread carefully

 

[Loyal]

I will comment from the aspect of working a sedentary job at a meat processing plant with a non-N95 mask and it was hard to breath after a while. I say "hallelujah" when I can take the damn thing off at the end of my shift.
I can't imagine the extreme physical exertion of an NFL player during a game with such a helmet? They may need 2-3 times as much oxygen available on the sidelines...