The NFL says Guardian Caps make football safer. The science isn’t so sure
Guardian Caps have become one of football’s most visible attempts to reduce concussions. But as the NFL embraces them as a safety measure, scientists are still debating just how effective they are.
The NFL has endorsed Guardian Caps as a potential solution to enhance football safety, claiming that the caps can cushion the impact of head collisions by at least 9% during practices and reduce concussions by around 50%. Chris Olave, a New Orleans Saints receiver, has started wearing a Guardian Cap over his helmet in games in an effort to safeguard himself against head injuries, especially considering he now has children and wishes to lead a regular life post-retirement from football.
However, some experts have raised concerns about the efficacy of Guardian Caps in reducing the risk of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated head impacts. Chris Nowinski, co-founder of Boston University's CTE Center, expressed doubt on the utility of Guardian Caps, especially for high school and college players, stating that there is no evidence to suggest that the caps can protect against concussions and CTE.
The Guardian Cap NXT model, used by NFL and Division I college players, differs from the commercial version, with the latter having less padding and reportedly less effectiveness in impact tests. Critics argue that the widespread adoption of Guardian Caps may create a false sense of security among players and their families, potentially risking their safety.
Written by urgent.news from Yahoo Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
