Baltimore Ravens RB Ray Rice Announces Partnership with Xenith Football Helmets

Source: Xenith LLC

LOWELL, Mass., Jan. 29, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Xenith LLC, manufacturer of the X2 football helmet and other protective equipment, today announced an extended partnership with Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice , a two-time NFL All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowl selection. Rice, who has been wearing the popular Xenith X2 football helmet since 2011, began serving as a Xenith brand ambassador in 2012. Rice will continue to promote Xenith's innovative X2 helmet while now serving as the face of Xenith's national player safety campaign and promoting the company's corporate mission of advancing safety and activity through innovation and education. Rice, teammate Matt Birk , (the NFL's most recent winner of the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award) and others will be wearing Xenith's X2 football helmet in Super Bowl XLVII on Sunday, February 3, 2013.

"The subject of concussions and CTE is arguably the most topical sports health issue today and I am excited to work with Xenith to advance technology and help protect athletes at all levels of play," said Rice. "All athletes should be smart about what they wear to protect their head, and I believe the Xenith X2 helmet is the most innovative helmet on the market today. Speaking from personal experience, I have had the most successful years of my career while wearing the X2. I look forward to wearing the helmet in Super Bowl XLVII and beyond."

The partnership between Xenith and Rice will serve to promote Xenith's comprehensive approach to risk reduction, which emphasizes proper technique, rule enforcement, culture change, superior equipment and proper management of injuries.

"Ray is a perfect person to represent the Xenith brand," said Xenith CEO, John Duerden . "He has a comprehensive understanding of the importance of player safety (both short and long term) and is committed to serve as a role model to help educate young athletes and truly make a difference."

Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon also stands by Xenith's technology advancements, and has joined the Xenith team to help provide concussion education and awareness at Super Bowl XLVII. "Xenith has designed an innovative helmet which focuses on fit, comfort and protection," said Moon. "The company's philosophy complements the changes which Xenith and I have been advocating in other aspects of the game to help protect current and former players."

Unlike traditional football helmets that use foam padding, Xenith helmets break entirely new ground by utilizing 12-18 shock absorbers that act as individual air bags for the head/brain. In addition, the patented "fit system" enables a player to personally adjust the fit of the helmet and the balance of the shock absorbers on the field. This feature has been particularly successful in preventing the frequent flying-off of helmets and is just part of what differentiates Xenith helmets from the competition.

Xenith LLC was founded in 2004 by Vin Ferrara, who was the starting quarterback at Harvard University where he was an All-Ivy League selection and left as the third-ranked passer in school history. After graduating from Harvard, it was Ferrara's own experience with sports-related injuries that inspired him to obtain both his medical and MBA degrees from Columbia so that he could affect change in head/brain safety through this revolutionary helmet.

Xenith helmets have been worn by approximately 100,000 players at all levels throughout youth, high school, major college and the NFL. Xenith is the Official Helmet of the Snoop Youth Football League, the Deion Sanders Truth Football League and Steve Clarkson 's Throwback Football League. Xenith helmets were worn exclusively by the high school All-Americans in the 2012 and 2013 U.S. Army All-American Bowl and the 2012 Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl.

About Xenith Based in Lowell, Massachusetts, Xenith was founded to advance safety and activity through innovation and education. Xenith Adaptive Head Protection® is a system of patented technologies designed to provide superior fit and to minimize the sudden movement of the head during impact.