SMU Football Announces Partnership with Unequal Technologies

[PonyPride]

From SMUMustangs.com and Unequal® Technologies:

SMU Football Announces Partnership with Unequal Technologies for Athlete Protection
Mustangs are first NCAA Division I football program to outfit every helmet with Unequal

DALLAS (August 26, 2014) – SMU Athletics announced today it has entered into a multiyear partnership with Unequal® Technologies, the leading provider of customized, concealed sports protection. Unequal will be The Official Protection Partner of SMU Football, and each SMU football helmet will be outfitted with the Unequal Gyro, a supplemental helmet liner fortified with Kevlar® and Accelleron®, which predicts a significantly lower risk of concussions.

SMU is the first NCAA Division I football program to partner with Unequal for team-wide protective gear. In addition to the Gyro for head protection, SMU student-athletes will also have access to body protection gear from Unequal including the Invincible top, Viper girdle and custom shoulder, hip, thigh, knee or rib padding.

“There is no question Unequal is the right partner for us. You can’t win if your players are in the training room, and as a coach or administrator, you’re not doing everything you can to keep your student-athletes healthy unless you’re using the most advanced protection available,” said SMU head coach June Jones. “Unequal is the best thing that has come along for contact sports. We look forward to not only using Unequal’s protective sports gear but to working with the team at Unequal to continue to make their products better and to spread awareness to every college and league across the country.”

SMU Equipment Manager Albert Veytia began experimenting with Unequal padding as early as 2011 after learning Unequal was responsible for outfitting pro quarterback Tony Romo with protection following a rib fracture. Multiple SMU student-athletes have used layers of Unequal padding to reinforce shoulder pads or rib protectors and help protect against injuries in previous seasons.

All Unequal distinctively green products use a patented battle-grade composite fortified with Kevlar® and Accelleron® to absorb and disperse impact forces beyond the performance of any sports protection of similar weight or thickness.

“We admire SMU’s commitment to keeping their student-athletes safe on the field of play and are excited to have them as a partner,” said Unequal CEO Rob Vito. “The Mustangs and Coach Jones are thought leaders in college athletics and recognize the need for the best protective gear available to their players. We see Unequal giving the Mustangs an added edge in competition this fall and look forward to working with the athletic department, student-athletes, alumni and Mustang fans for many years.”

To learn more about SMU Mustang football, visit http://www.SMUMustangs.com. For more information on Unequal products or Unequal Technologies, visit unequal.com.

About SMU Athletics
SMU, the only Division I athletic program in Dallas, Texas, sponsors 17 sports and is a proud member of the American Athletic Conference. More information about SMU and its coaches, student-athletes and teams is available at http://www.SMUMustangs.com.

About Unequal Technologies
Unequal Technologies’ mission is to protect people in the military, sports, work and life. Its patented fusion of a battle-grade composite fortified with Kevlar® and Accelleron® is engineered for customized, concealed protection. The leading provider of supplemental protection technology, Unequal is committed to help reduce blunt force trauma suffered by athletes and soldiers. Professionals in the NFL, MLB, NHL and X Games, as well as thousands of collegiate and youth athletes in football, baseball, soccer, hockey, lacrosse, action sports, contact sports and other activities, wear Unequal’s protective head and body gear. Unequal owns 85 international and U.S. patents and patents pending, and its products have been tested by independent, certified laboratories, OEM facilities and top universities. Unequal is recognized as a Forbes’ 100 Most Promising Companies, ESPN’s Top 15 Best Sports Innovations, the No. 1 tech innovation of 2013 by Esquire.com and for the DuPont™ Kevlar® Innovation Award. For more information, visit unequal.com.

[EastStang]

I was fine until we got to the battlegrade compost filler. When I picture compost, I picture bugs. I know there are no bugs, but the vision is still there.

[malonish]

I was fine until we got to the battlegrade compost filler. When I picture compost, I picture bugs. I know there are no bugs, but the vision is still there.

Composite... made up of various parts or elements.

[DanFreibergerForHeisman]

Nice to see we will be wearing some green to honor Baylor.

[Dooby]

I believe physics says this stuff doesn't work.

[couch 'em]

I believe physics says this stuff doesn't work.

I believe they will sell a lot of product which is the one and only goal

[JoeKidd]

I believe physics says this stuff doesn't work.

I know a lot of guys that Kevlar has stopped bullets, frag debri and blunt impact trauma for, I don't see why this wouldn't help keep our players better protected. I think Coach Jones and the equipment staff should be commended for being ahead of the curve on utilizing this type of equipment. Hopefully it keeps our best players on the field more.

[Dooby]

http://www.insidescience.org/blog/2013/09/16/protecting-against-concussions-helmet-research

""You're telling me that NFL players are installing Kevlar inside their helmets?" he said, dryly apoplectic. … "I can't think of a single reason why installing Kevlar would protect the brain in a collision," he said. "It's the egg-yolk-inside-the-shell analogy. Making the shell stronger will still scramble the yolk.""

[Dooby]

Adding this may also void the warranty on the helmet, by the way.

[Grant Carter]

Adding this may also void the warranty on the helmet, by the way.

Also, it may not, by the way.

[Dooby]

Apparently it does violate the warranty as Unequal Technologies is aware because they "assume the manufacturer's warranty", whatever that means.