Protective sports helmet

An American football helmet comprising:

• a helmet shell including a crown region;
• and
• an energy attenuation assembly positioned within the helmet shell, the energy attenuation assembly including:
• a crown energy attenuation assembly positioned against an inner surface of the crown region of the helmet shell, the crown energy attenuation assembly including:
• a first energy attenuation element having a first housing with a polygonal arrangement of side walls, wherein the polygonal side wall arrangement of the first housing includes at least a first side wall that extends from a second side wall, a third side wall that extends from the second side wall, a fourth side wall substantially parallel to the first side wall, a fifth side wall that extends from the fourth side wall;
• and
• a second energy attenuation element having a second housing with a polygonal arrangement of side walls, wherein the polygonal side wall arrangement of the second housing includes at least:
• a first side wall that extends from a second side wall, a third side wall that extends from the second side wall, a fourth side wall substantially parallel to the first side wall, a fifth side wall that extends from the fourth side wall,
• wherein the first and second energy attenuation elements are arranged to:
• (i) define a first crown gap between an extent of the first side wall of the first housing and an extent of the second side wall of the second housing, and (ii) be adapted to behave independently in response to an impact force being applied to the helmet shell.

An American football helmet to be worn by a player while engaged in football activities, the football helmet comprising:

• a helmet shell including a crown region, a pair of side regions depending downward from the crown region, a front region spanning a front portion of the side regions, and a rear region spanning a rear portion of the side regions;
• and
• an energy attenuation assembly positioned against an inner surface of the helmet shell, the energy attenuation assembly including:
• a side energy attenuation assembly having at least one energy attenuation element positioned in each of said side regions of the helmet shell;
• a crown energy attenuation assembly positioned against the inner surface of the crown region of the helmet shell, the crown energy attenuation assembly including:
• a first energy attenuation element having a first housing with an arrangement of linear side walls including a first linear side wall that extends from a second linear side wall, a third linear side wall that extends from the second linear side wall, a fourth linear side wall arranged parallel to the first linear side wall, a fifth linear side wall that extends from the fourth linear side wall, and a sixth linear side wall that extends from the fifth linear side wall;
• and
• a second energy attenuation element having a second housing with an arrangement of linear side walls including at least a first linear side wall that extends from a second linear side wall,
• wherein the first and second energy attenuation elements are arranged to define a first crown gap between an extent of the first linear side wall of the first housing and an extent of the second linear side wall of the second housing.