5G football helmet for deaf and hard of hearing to debut this weekend

The Bison will wear the helmets in-game action for the first time this Saturday when they host Hilbert at Hotchkiss Field. 

While a 5G helmet might sound a bit gimmicky, Gallaudet offensive lineman John Scarboro told FOX 5  in Washington, D.C., that it will be an "incredible" advancement for his team and future deaf and hard-of-hearing players. 

"It's been a huge benefit for us and I think not just for us in the long run but for football players overall even for mainstream people who are deaf and hard of hearing it's going to be incredible," Scarboro said.

Gallaudet's program worked with AT&T for the last year on the helmet, intending to increase "the speed of communication between coach and player." The team's head coach, Chuck Goldstein, believes they've accomplished that. 

"To have our players easily receive communication from the coaches that will level the playing field for us," Goldstein said. "That's all we need." 

Gallaudet University, the nation's first for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, is no stranger to ingenuity on the football field. In 1894, quarterback Paul Hubbard invented the modern-day huddle in an effort to shield his play calls from the opposing team. 

Now, the program, which has disbanded and been reborn many times since its founding in 1883, is at the forefront of another remarkable advancement.