The AP's Barry Wilner reported NFL teams will be "trying out" the new Vicis Zero 1 helmet that the league and the NFLPA "hope will be more effective in trying to limit head trauma." The new product "topped independent testing of 33 helmets conducted in Canada by the league and NFLPA." The Zero 1 is the "first to account for rotational as well as linear impact." The new helmet has been 3 1/2 years "in the making" (AP, 6/3).
IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION: In DC, Rick Maese noted NFL reps met with the DEA in March and "assured officials that a 'compliance plan' for handling prescription drugs had been put into effect" for all 32 teams. The meeting at DEA HQ in DC, which was "revealed by a DEA official in a letter to House lawmakers, came two weeks after the congressmen had asked the agency about its investigation into the NFL's drug practices." The DEA "recently had investigated allegations that teams flouted federal laws that govern the transporting, handling and disbursement of controlled substances" (WASHINGTON POST, 6/2).
SCOUTING REPORT: THE MMQB’s Jenny Vrentas writes it is possible the NFL Combine is moved to L.A. at some point -- but "certainly not" in '18. Indianapolis is a "well-oiled machine for the combine, with the logistics easy and convenient." For the NFL to consider moving the event, the next site would "need to be just as turnkey with things like hotels and access to hospitals." However, the open bidding process for the Draft has "proven that nothing is sacrosanct" (MMQB.SI.com, 6/5).
