This past weekend, Dallas-based AT&T announced the NCAA has approved use of its so-called “first-of-its-kind, innovative connected helmet” for the entirety of the 2024 football season. As the telecom titan noted, the 5G-enabled helmet was developed with Gallaudet University.
Gallaudet, based in Washington DC, is the world’s preeminent collegiate institution for the those in the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community.
“With the connected helmet, which debuted in limited-use only last season, Deaf and hard-of-hearing athletes receive play calls directly on a digital display within the helmet,” AT&T wrote in its announcement, published on September 14. “It was created in collaboration with Gallaudet University, AT&T and Riddell, to enhance on-field communication for student-athletes who use American Sign Language.”
AT&T also said the NCAA’s ruling in favor of the special helmets—they were used in one game last year—is a significant development for inclusion as it “[levels] the playing field for Deaf and hard-of-hearing athletes by empowering them to receive play calls directly on a digital display within the helmet” and “[creates] a safer environment by reducing miscommunication and unwarranted penalties.”
The adaptive helmets were worn in Gallaudet’s home opener at Hotchkiss Field last Saturday. The Bison, in NCAA Division III, were pummeled by the United States’ Marine Merchant Academy 55–7, falling to 0–2. Gallaudet won its one game last year with the helmets, a proof of concept in Silicon Valley parlance, 34–20 against Hilbert College.
That Gallaudet is authorized to use the helmets for a whole season is a big step for accessibility and inclusivity—and shows how technology and sports intersect in modern times. Goldstein said in part for AT&T’s announcement that the school is “thrilled and thankful” for the NCAA’s sign-off, adding the helmets represent “the next step in the effort to help level the playing field for Deaf and hard-of-hearing players.” Goldstein also noted evaluation of the helmets over a week-to-week basis is a huge advantage over using them a single time last season year. As to AT&T’s role in the collaboration, the company’s chief marketing & growth officer in Kellyn Kenny said in part that last year’s one-game test run was a “touchdown moment” for all involved, adding as this college football season continues to unfold, AT&T and Gallaudet have a unique opportunity to “further collaborate and innovate on ways to drive meaningful change toward making sports more inclusive for everyone.”
I posted a story on the helmets last October, which featured interviews with Gallaudet University head coach Chuck Goldstein and AT&T’s Andrew Bennett. The use of the connected helmet was yet another seminal moment in football history, as Gallaudet noted a year ago its football team pioneered the first-ever offensive huddle back in 1894.
Goldstein and the Bison are on the road this week, playing in Maine against the University of New England Nor’Easters. Gallaudet finishes September on the 28th at home versus the George Mason Patriots.