CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — The Morgan Park Mustangs are three weeks away from their first game of the season, but there’s one problem: They don’t have any helmets.
“We play on Aug. 26, and my kids haven't worn a helmet, not one day,” said Morgan Park's head football coach Chris James.
Morgan Park sent 75 helmets to manufacturer Schutt Sports in December 2021 to be reconditioned.
It’s been eight months, and James still doesn’t know when they’ll be returned.
“I wish I had an answer,” he said. “That's the most frustrating part about it.”
There are nationwide supply chain issues with football helmets and pads. Other Chicago Public Schools high schools, including Simeon and Kenwood, are waiting on new orders.
For the Mustangs, though, it’s a different situation.
“I didn't ask for new helmets. I just want mine back,” said James. “I just want mine, the ones that I gave you in December, and it's like, you had eight months to figure this out.”
After weeks of being told he would receive a tracking number from Schutt, James said he received a call Tuesday morning saying his helmets had been found. The helmets, he was told, were in Mexico.
“It was like, hold on. You found it, so you didn't know where it was?” James said. “So now the conversation is, ‘OK, we found your helmets, but they still haven't been reconditioned yet.’”
If the Mustang’s helmets aren’t delivered in the next two weeks, James said his team won’t be able to play its first game of the season.
Schutt has not responded to WBBM Newsradio’s request for comment.
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