Big 12: Games not compromised by unsecure helmet radio comms

Field Level Media|published: Fri 1st November, 24:07 2024

Jul 13, 2023; Arlington, TX, USA; A view of the Texas Tech Red Raiders helmet and logo during the Big 12 football media day at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

After Texas Tech raised concerns about the encryption of helmet communications, the Big 12 Conference announced on Thursday that its games have not been compromised by unencrypted frequencies.

Per ESPN, Texas Tech contacted the Big 12 regarding its recent losses to Baylor and TCU to ensure that the integrity of the game was not affected.

During a call with Big 12 athletic directors on Tuesday, Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocut brought up the issue after learning that the in-game communications could be located by anyone with a scanner who knew how to find the frequencies.

In a statement on Thursday, Texas Tech said it accepted the results of the Big 12 review and would have no further comment.

"Following the industry-wide concerns surrounding helmet communications, the Big 12 conducted a review of conference games and helmet communications processes to address any issues member institutions raised regarding this matter," the Big 12 said in a statement Thursday. "The review showed that at no point was any Big 12 competition compromised."

Schools are allowed to use GSC -- the helmet communication device for the Power 4 conferences, which includes 68 teams -- or CoachComm for coach-to-player communications. All Big 12 helmet communications are now equipped with a GSC update that provides encryption.

--Field Level Media

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