The Philadelphia Eagles classified quarterback Michael Vick as a full participant in Thursday’s practice following a concussion he suffered in last week’s game. There is still the possibility of a setback, but for now, it appears likely that Vick will start on Sunday against the division rival New York Giants.
The Giants are expected to throw everything they can at Vick, and his style of play makes it hard for him to totally avoid contact as other, more conventional drop-back passers can. But Vick is doing everything he can to be ready for next weekend’s game.
ESPN reported that Vick reached out to Rob Vito, of Unequal Technologies, to come to Philadelphia to try and beef up his safety equipment.
Unequal Technologies makes a variety of safety equipment, including padding and body armor using Kevlar. The products on the company’s website include, “EXO Skeleton ARMORLITE features the trauma-blocking power of Kevlar® in a pad that can be cut, customized and conformed to virtually any shape to help reduce the possibility of injury to the body caused by blunt force trauma (BFT).”
The company is well known for making Kevlar vests to protect an athlete’s ribs, such as the one they made to protect Vick last season. ESPN reported this week that Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo will be wearing a vest made by them to protect the ribs he broke in last weekend’s game against the 49ers, and that Jason Witten will also be fit for a vest to protect his bruised ribs.
Vick is now looking to another one of their products to help protect him from another concussion. Their CRT technology is advertised to, “EXO Skeleton CRT (concussion reduction technology) Pads help reduce the possibility of injury to the head. CRT pads, constructed with the trauma-blocking power of Kevlar®, can be cut, customized and conformed to virtually any shape or size. CRT supplements the existing padding for extra protection in helmets for football, baseball, lacrosse, hockey, skating, snowboarding, skate boarding, climbing, equestrian, biking, motorcycling and other sports or activities that require helmets.”
Vick has an endorsement deal with Unequal Technologies, and in fact they were the first major endorsement deal that he signed following his time in prison.
Vick announced back in June that he would be wearing the helmet padding this season to help prevent concussions. His statements from that story are ironic in retrospect.
“I haven’t had problems with concussions in the past, knock on wood, so hopefully that won’t happen in the future,” Vick said back in June in a story run by the Associated Press, “but I will wear the padding in the helmet to prevent concussions and hopefully a lot of players in the league will do the same thing.”
