Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
With the rate of concussions in football and other contact sports drastically increasing over the decade, Towson University has committed $21 million to improve athletics with the purchase of better helmets and other equipment.
“I can definitely tell that Towson is trying to protect their players,” said Jeremy Tunstall, 24, who works for the school’s equipment team. “The financial budget they seem to put into taking care of their athletes, especially football players anyways, seems to be extremely generous yet cautious at the same time.
“Like, yeah, they get all this cool Towson merchandise, but to see them getting state-of-the-art football gear is actually awesome to see,” Tunstall added.
Tunstall gave The Baltimore Watchdog a tour of the equipment room and football locker room. For the players, their gear is everything to them, from cleats that are either low tops or high tops to certain gloves and even helmets. The customizations and options for players are much greater today because the men and women need to feel as comfortable and safe as possible while playing their respective sports.
“The job is actually pretty cool,” Tunstall said of his duties managing sports equipment. “But the problem can be there are only a few of us. So sometimes it can take a while setting everything up for the players before game time. We have to make sure everything in their lockers is properly set up and all their gear is ready to go.”
Tunstall, a Sports Management major, has worked with Towson’s equipment team for a couple of years and said he is looking to “gear up” for an internship with the Baltimore Ravens this summer. He will work a similar job with the local professional football team with the goal of pursuing a paying position after graduation.
The importance of having high quality, injury resistant sports equipment has grown drastically, especially in football leagues among team owners and equipment managers. Equipment designs are a lot sleeker than a decade ago and the technology that goes inside the helmets constantly change as experts search for ways to reduce concussions.
Tunstall compared lacrosse helmets to football helmets at Towson University.
“Lacrosse helmets may look cool and protective on the outside,” said Tunstall. “But they have very little padding on the inside when compared to football helmets. And it’s not close.
“However, I can only think of one concussion a Towson lacrosse player had since working here and that was because it was a cheap shot to his jaw,” he added. “But football players? I can’t even keep count how many of the guys had concussions.”
The NCAA said that almost 8 percent of injuries that college football players suffer are concussions. Officials said a higher rate of concussions occur in the pre-season than during the regular season or postseason.
Despite advancements in helmet technology, officials admit that football players still suffer concussions. Former Ravens center, John Urschel, announced his retirement days after a new concussion report came out in 2017 that showed 110 out of 111 players had a concussion at some point in their careers. Urschel said he retired because of a job offer at MIT and not the concussion report.
During the tour, Tunstall pointed out a football helmet that was used years before he started working in Towson’s equipment room. The padding inside the helmet looked like something seen five years ago.
Tunstall said that Towson sent the school’s football helmets from this past season in for new, upgraded, replacements. Fans and players have a lot to look forward to next season. The Schutt F7 VTD helmet costs about $600. The Vengeance Z10 goes for around $250. And the most technologically advanced helmet, the Riddell Speedflex with Insite, costs about $540. These are just a few of the choices the Towson football team will have next season.
The Towson University 2019 operating budget called for using $21 million of the $519 million budget to improve athletics, including gear, facilities, travel and more. That is the third highest in the budget behind “Student Affairs” and “Administrative and Finance.” One key piece that shows Towson is trying to take care of its athlete is a $164,000 increase in academic scholarships for incoming athletes.
Tunstall’s concerns about concussions linger.
“I mean, I’m not going to sit here and say they won’t prevent a concussion or two, because they probably will,” said Tunstall. “But in the grand scheme of things, that person who got saved from a concussion thanks to the new helmets might get one a play later.
“So it all really depends on how hard they get it. Unfortunately, that’s every play. So I don’t know if they’ll ever find a 100 percent prevention from concussions. If they do, I hope to be one of the first people to see them.”
Towson’s Assistant Equipment Manager Ryan Stiller wasn’t too optimistic.
“No, because helmets don’t prevent concussions,” Stiller responded when asked if the concussion problem will ever be solved in football. “As long as there is contact in football, there will always be a chance of getting a concussion.”
Sports Writing professor Elia Powers had his doubts too.
“I consider the strides made by football teams to be relatively minor — or at least insufficient,” Powers said. “Helmet technology has improved, but until the league begins to do more to prevent dangerous hits from taking place, this won’t be enough.”
Tunstall said his job is easier knowing of Towson officials’ efforts.
“While it can be exhausting, traveling with the team as an equipment manager can be very entertaining,” said Tunstall. “Whether that’s having fun on the bus, getting to see new stadiums, meeting students from other colleges. It’s a pretty cool environment when you’re not tossing dirty laundry into the washing machine. Visiting Wake Forest was an amazing experience but that drive!!! Well, safe to say, it wasn’t the best moment of the trip overall.”