ABSTRACT To The Editor:— As stated in The Journal (211:2175, 1969), football continues to exact "a toll of injuries and death" among its players. Injuries to the cervical spine are common in football and these are in part the result of opposing players pulling on the faceguard. The faceguard is intended to protect the players from colliding forces, but it can be the cause of an injury when force is pulled against it. It would seem that helmets might better be designed so that the faceguard would easily detach with a minimal pulling force. This might also simplify the referee's task because the offender would be caught holding the mask.