Syracuse, NY — The NFL Players Association (NFLPA) has signed an agreement with EarQ, which will provide a hearing education and hearing aid discount program for active and retired members of the NFLPA and their families.
Andre Collins, NFLPA Director of Former Player Services, said in the press statement, “We are very excited that EarQ will be working with our players. It will be a beneficial and highly utilized program
, aimed at strengthening our members’ hearing health. I can’t think of one person who played in the NFL who doesn’t have some sort of hearing loss.”
In addition to the regular hearing strain experienced, NFL players are exposed to high-decibel hearing environments, as well as the challenging physical nature of the game. The NFLPA says that the overall goal of the EarQ program is to increase awareness of hearing loss among NFLPA members and their families.
Ed Keller, founder and president of EarQ, noted that occupational factors such as working in loud environments, the risk of repeated head injuries, and stress can contribute to a higher incidence of impairment than in the general population.
Keller also noted that the NFLPA agreement will bring attention to hearing loss outside of its members. “All people over the age of 45 should consider getting hearing evaluations to detect hearing concerns, and address the hardships in their daily interactions that may result,” said Keller. “By providing this discount to the players, we hope to raise awareness on hearing impairments, lessen the stigma of using hearing devices, and help the general public improve their hearing health.”
In addition to NFL players, the discount program is available to members of the NFL Coaches Association.
The EarQ group is a national network of hearing health care providers.
SOURCE: EarQ
