(02-28-2012 04:41 PM)NIU007 Wrote:  

(02-28-2012 09:03 AM)cawoo22 Wrote:  

(02-25-2012 01:34 PM)NIU007 Wrote:  Why would they make a player sit out a play because his helmet came off? That could make a huge difference, and a team could gain by ripping the opposing players helmet off.

Minus a personal foul, your helmet should never come off. If it does, it's not fitted correctly.

Well, either the NIU helmets don't fit right, or there were some personal fouls that got missed. That's bad enough without having to sit out a play afterwards.

Here is part of an article from October 2010 with your exact concern.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/f...mets_N.htm

Redding said helmets are a topic among the rules committee. "Just wondering if there is something we can do," he said.

One possibility, Redding said, would be to require a player whose helmet comes off in the normal course of play to sit out the next down, much like a player must do if time is stopped for an injury. Redding acknowledged such a rule "could open a can of worms" because players might argue their helmets were pulled off by opponents.

But a rule could force teams to take a serious look at the way helmets are fitted. As it is now, Redding said there is little incentive to deal with it.

He sees few instances of helmets being pulled off but more coming off in the course of a play. "You mostly see it when a player is being tackled and his momentum is stopped quickly and his headgear keeps going," he said.

Two college rules deal with helmets on the field. If a ballcarrier's helmet comes off, the play is immediately whistled dead for safety reasons. And other than during a timeout or while being treated for an injury, players on the field cannot remove their helmets (though officials have room for interpretation).

I just think if helmets are coming off, why penalize the player? How long does it take to put the helmet back on? How often has someone been injured in the head after a helmet has come off?

Makes no sense to me unless they have answers to a lot of these questions.