Hagens Berman Investigates Riddell Football Helmets Over Concussion Claims

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Feb 17, 2012, 12:10 ET

CHICAGO, Feb. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP is investigating claims that football equipment maker Riddell marketed its football helmets as reducing or preventing concussions despite having no scientific or medical evidence to support the claim.

Since 2002, Riddell has reportedly used safety, including concussion reduction as a key selling point for its football helmets, claiming that its Riddell Revolution helmet contains "Revolution Concussion Reduction Technology" ("CRT").

This marketing campaign has been effective. A New York Times story noted that Riddell helmets have "a reputation among many players and coaches as 'the concussion helmet.'"

As evidence for its claims, the company has pointed to a study published in the journal Neurosurgery which purportedly shows a 31 percent reduction in concussions.

However, the study's use by Riddell has been criticized on multiple fronts. First, the study did not control for and ensure that each of the populations were hit with the same force. It also concluded that once diagnosed with a concussion, there were no statistically significant differences in symptoms between players who wore Riddell's helmet instead of another helmet.

Furthermore, a New York Times article noted that one of the co-authors of the study doubted its reliability to prove Riddell's claims.

The piece quoted Dr. Maroon as saying, "That was the data that came out but the authors of that study on multiple occasions have recommended further investigations, better controls and with larger numbers. If one is going to make statements relative to the paper we wrote, it should be with the limitations that we emphasized, and not extrapolated to studies that we suggest should be done and haven't been done yet."

Hagens Berman is investigating whether Riddell misled consumers, making them believe that the Riddell Revolution helmets prevented concussions, when, in fact, they had no basis for making that claim.

The firm encourages those who purchased Riddell Helmets and believe they may have been misled about the product's ability to prevent or reduce concussions to contact the firm. Hagens Berman attorneys can be reached for a consultation by calling (708) 628-4949 or by emailing [email protected].

More information can be found at www.hbsslaw.com/Riddell.

About Hagens Berman
Seattle-based Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP represents workers, whistleblowers, investors and consumers in complex litigation. The firm has offices in Boston, Chicago, Colorado Springs, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, Phoenix, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. Founded in 1993, HBSS continues to successfully fight for investor rights in large, complex litigation. More about the law firm and its successes can be found at www.hbsslaw.com. Visit the firm's class-action law blog at www.classactionlawtoday.com.

Contact: Mark Firmani, Firmani + Associates Inc., 206.443.9357 or [email protected].