Many years ago, Sports Illustrated (maybe 30+?) did a cover story on the topic of reducing catastrophic injuries in football. In the end, reducing equipment, including reducing/eliminating the helmet, was the only thing that would achieve that end. The guy may be a goof, but his logic relative to football equipment and injuries is reasonable.
Anybody who has played the game knows that the better your equipment (helmet and pads) the more free you feel to deliver a bigger blow.