Last month’s tragic death of Madison Middle School student Cohen Craddock following a collision during football practice has focused attention on contact sport safety. Republican State Senator Mike Stuart, whose district includes Boone County, said he will introduce legislation requiring middle and high school football players to wear Guardian Caps during practice.
The Guardian Caps are soft shells that are worn on the outside of helmets and designed to provide extra protection against head injuries. “I think we’ve gotten to the point where we ought to be mandating the use of these (Guardian Caps) to try to protect, especially the long-term chronic effect of head injury,” Stuart said on Talkline last week.
Guardian Caps have been around for over a decade, but they have become more popular in recent years as football programs have attempted to improve safety. Pro, college and high school teams are using the safety gear.
All 32 NFL teams and 9 CFL teams mandate use of the caps in all contact practices. Sixty-two of the 70 power conference teams use the caps. They are worn by more than 500 colleges, more than 5,000 high schools and over 1,000 youth leagues.
Still, not everyone agrees on their efficacy. Critics cite a 2023 study by the National Library of Medicine which found they did not help. However, the researchers conceded the study was limited to ten players and that more study was needed.
The National Football League is sold on Guardian Caps. ESPN reports “padded headgear was mandated for (NFL) players at certain positions” beginning in 2022. NFL executive vice president Jeff Miller told ESPN the caps have cut concussions in half for those position groups.
“We now have two years of data showing significant concussion reduction among players who wear the Guardian Caps during practice,” and that had led to a rule change allowing players to wear them during games if they choose.
Guardian Cap co-founder Erin Hanson believes the extra padding helps reduce injury, but it is not a panacea. “We believe there are definite benefits that make it safer,” she said, “(but) there is no piece of equipment that can prevent tragedies (such as Cohen’s death) from happening.”
“We believe that it all works together,” she said. “I do think there have to be technique changes, I do think there has to be responsible coaching and rule changes. I think we are one part of the equation, but we’re not everything.”
Some high school football teams in the state utilize Guardian Caps, but most don’t. Those that do not may not be able to afford them—each costs about $70—or they have been warned by helmet makers that adding the soft shells voids the helmet warranty. Hanson insists that is not true.
“That absolutely infuriates us,” she said. “They (helmet manufacturers) use that threat to compete for budget dollars” by encouraging schools to buy more or better equipment from the dealers rather than spend it on the soft shells.
Football is a brutal contact sport and as long as we play the game there will be tragedies. However, it is incumbent upon teams, their coaches and administrators, to make the sport as safe as possible. Adding Guardian Caps to helmets of high school and middle school players, at least during practice, would help reduce the risks.