Vicis, the startup football helmet maker, has added Lisa Ertz, the mother of NFL tight end Zach Ertz, to its coalition of advisors.
In addition to Zach, Ertz is the mother of three other athlete sons: Jackson, a current high school football player; Nicolas, who attends Cal-Berkeley and plays intramural sports; and Shane, whose college playing career was cut short by multiple concussions. Shane Ertz’s first concussion occurred playing basketball. He suffered a second concussion playing football when he was knocked unconscious for five minutes after catching a pass. This second head injury ended Shane’s promising football career.
As a parent who has dealt with head injuries, Ertz has a unique perspective on the risks and rewards of football.
“I wouldn’t say I love football, but I do love that my kids are passionate about it and I love the experiences and opportunities it’s created for them,” said Ertz. “Youth football is important for teaching kids to be accountable, be leaders, work as a team, follow through and accept and deal with defeat. Critical life lessons.”
Ertz also takes on the role of president of the Vicis Foundation, a public charity dedicated to helping high schools and youth leagues of all socioeconomic levels gain access to the latest sports protective equipment. As president, Ertz will work with corporations, athlete foundations, and other organizations interested in making financial contributions, as well as lead the selection of deserving schools and youth programs that will benefit from foundation grants.
Lisa joins an illustrious group of individuals on the Vicis Coalition, including:
- 2 Super Bowl MVPs
- 3 Heisman Trophy winners
- 4 NFL Hall of Fame inductees
- winners of 19 Super Bowls
- 40 Pro Bowl appearances
The 18 members of the Vicis Coalition are:
- Richard Sherman, Pro Bowl NFL cornerback
- Jerry Rice, NFL Hall of Fame inductee
- Roger Staubach, NFL Hall of Fame inductee
- Doug Baldwin, NFL wide receiver
- Tony Dorsett, NFL Hall of Fame inductee
- Alex Smith, NFL Pro Bowl quarterback
- Tim Brown, NFL Hall of Fame inductee
- Nate Burleson, NFL broadcaster and former player
- Marques Colston, NFL wide receiver
- Lisa Ertz, NFL mom
- Billy Davis, NFL coach
- Bobby Wagner, NFL Pro Bowl linebacker
- Charles Davis, NFL broadcaster and former NCAA player
- Damon Huard, former NFL player
- Mark May, NFL broadcaster and former player
- Mark Schlereth, NFL broadcaster and former player
- Tony Siragusa, NFL broadcaster and former player
- Carl Smith, NFL coach
The Vicis Coalition helps the company fulfill its mission to protect players at all levels of sport. Lisa states, “It’s an honor to be involved with Vicis to make football safer, whether it’s for my own children or my grandchildren.”
Vicis has developed the ZERO1 helmet that features multiple layers are designed to work together to provide improved impact absorption and a comfortable, anatomically optimized fit.
