DENVER — 15,516 top of the line football helmets are going to all 277 high school tackle football program in the state.
That's the promise from the Denver Broncos Foundation.
Starting this fall, over the course of four years, the Denver Broncos Foundation will complete its single largest philanthropic investment in history.
Vice President of Community Impact Allie Engelken said the helmets are the single most expensive piece of equipment required to play tackle football, and that's creating financial barriers for schools.
"It’s money that we’re going to save at schools, at school districts," Loveland High School Athletic Director Brandon Havard said. "We’re able to allocate that money that we would’ve spent on new helmets, or reconditioning helmets, and we’re able to put that towards other programs or other needs whether it’s facilities or uniforms or you name it."
Engelken said the money saved will, in turn, impact other athletic programs. Some schools told her, they plan to upgrade their gym and buy new uniforms.
Aside from the safety and financial aspects of the donation, Havard said they're a huge asset for coaches.
"Safety is always first and with these helmets having the technology in them for coaches to go back and be educated and look at the data from games and from hits and things like that and see what’s actually going on, I think that’s huge," Havard said.
He's talking about the technology in the Ridell Axiom helmets they'll be receiving and their ability to produce data.
The donations are now setting a precedent for other NFL teams, with people on X already reaching out to their local NFL team asking them to do something similar.
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