The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) has been provided with a copy of a newly enacted policy by NAERA (National Athletic Equipment Reconditioning Association) pertaining to aftermarket football helmet attachments. Under the policy, reconditioners would remove such attachments and either return them to the submitting high schools or destroy them, at the schools’ direction. NOTE: It does not relate to stickers on the helmet but to such “devices” as Shock Box, Guardian, or Unequalled Technologies.
This press release is to clarify NAERA’s responsibility to our customers regarding “After Market Enhancements” placed in or on helmets being reconditioned/recertified to NOCSAE standards in NEARA facilities.
As members of NAERA we are required to recondition/recertify all helmets manufactured under the NOCSAE logo. We are required to return a reconditioned/recertified helmet in the exact configuration the helmet was in when it was originally certified to the NOCSAE standard.
During the reconditioned/recertification process any “After Market Enhancements” found in or on a helmet are required to be removed and returned to the owner or destroyed if that is the owner’s preference. These “After Market Enhancements” will not be placed in or on the helmet when returned to the customer. If you reattach the device the certification or recertification will no longer be valid.
In the process of removing “After Market Enhancements” from the helmet there is a possibility that the device(s) may be damaged or destroyed. In some cases the methods and/or adhesives used to attach the device(s) may have damaged the helmet shell or one or more components beyond repair. In that case the component or even the entire helmet may be rejected and will not be recertified. You should know that these damages are not covered under the manufacturer’s warranty and are not reimbursable by NAERA members. You may have a claim against the maker of the “After Market Enhancement” but that is up to you to determine. Helmets that are rejected will be marked as such and shall not be returned to the field of play and we strongly recommend you discard the defected helmets.
In the case where an “After Market Enhancement” has been approved by the manufacturer of a football helmet model(s), a Technical Service Bulletin will be required from the manufacturer to the reconditioner/recertifyer, stating that the helmet model that contains the device has been certified by the manufacturer with the device installed, along with the instructions on reconditioning/recertifying the helmet model containing the device.
NAERA recondition/recertifies approximately 1.7 million helmets yearly.
