Senator seeks FTC probe of football helmet makers
A U.S. senator is leading the charge to have the Federal Trade Commission investigate "misleading safety claims and deceptive practices" in the selling of new and used reconditioned football helmets.
In a letter to the FTC, Tom Udall, the Democratic senator from New Mexico, charges that helmet companies "appear to be using misleading advertising claims" and that "some helmet reconditioning companies may be falsely selling used helmets as meeting an industry safety standard."
In the letter, Udall singles out “misleading" marketing claims by Riddell, the helmet maker that supplies the official helmet to the National Football League, as saying on its web site that research shows "a 31 percent reduction in the risk of concussion in players wearing a Riddell Revolution football helmet when compared to traditional helmets, yet there is actually very little scientific evidence to support the claim."
Riddell’s CEO called Udall’s allegations “unfounded and unfair” and said the company welcomes “any scrutiny and review.”
In November, Udall asked the Consumer Product Safety Commission to investigate whether safety standards for football helmets are adequate to protect players from concussions. Udall serves on the Senate Commerce Committee, which oversees the Consumer Protection Safety Commission.
Source: Kentucky Post
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