NFL says Guardian Caps permitted in games after concussions decrease in training camp
Concussions have gone down in training camp by more than 50%
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The National Football League introduced Guardian Caps to training camp in 2022 in an effort to lower concussions during the summer practices.
Well, the results have apparently been so good that the NFL will now allow players to wear them during the season.
"We’ve got two years of data now showing significant concussion reductions in those players that wear Guardian Caps in the NFL," NFL's chief medical offer, Dr. Allen Sills said in a webinar earlier this month. "We might actually see a Guardian Cap on a player in a game this year."
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A view of the Guardian Cap worn by Roger Carter Jr., #49 of the Los Angeles Rams, during training camp at University of California Irvine on July 29, 2022, in Irvine, California. (Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
"It’s really become a norm here. The players know the Caps. They’ve seen the data, it works. The Guardian Caps have become another piece of equipment that they take to practice. You think about all the head impacts that we’re reducing from players wearing them, and it’s second nature now," added Brendan Burger, equipment director of the Los Angeles Rams.
The cap was invented in 2011, and since it was introduced in the NFL two years ago, concussions have gone down in training camp by more than 50% from the average of the 2018, 2019, and 2021 seasons.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A view of Cleveland Browns helmets with Guardian Caps during Cleveland Browns training camp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on July 30, 2022, in Berea, Ohio. (Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images)
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The NFL states that if both players involved in helmet-to-helmet contact are wearing the cap, the force of the impact is lowered by at least 20% and 10% if one player is wearing it.
The league also reported that Guardian Caps worn during training camp practices in 2023 helped the league realize a seven-year low in training-camp concussions.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Chris Lindstrom, #63 of the Atlanta Falcons, stands with a Guardian protective cap on his helmet during a training camp practice on July 27, 2022, in Flowery Branch, Georgia. (Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
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"We are proud to be a part of improving outcomes for players and grateful to the NFL for their investment in player safety. While we are proud of our current products and their performance on the field, we will continue to iterate the Guardian Cap to offer improved performance and aesthetics for the future," said Erin Hanson, Founder and CEO of Guardian Innovations.
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