The Guardian Cap has emerged in recent years as a new piece of football equipment. It started as a practice device mandated by the league. More than a few players now wear it during games.<\/p>\n
The unanswered question is whether it works. A recent item from Jeff Eisenberg of Yahoo! Sports examined the science<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cThe jury is out on whether the Guardian Cap is helping NFL players,\u201d Chris Nowinski, co-founder of Boston University\u2019s CTE Center, told Eisenberg. \u201cWe have no reason to believe it\u2019s helping high school and college players.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve created a sort of nightmare scenario where people strap these things on their kids\u2019 helmets and believe they\u2019re now safe from concussions and CTE. Nothing could be further from the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n Nowinski is quoted several times in Eisenberg\u2019s article. Also quoted is NFL executive V.P. Jeff Miller, who runs both health and safety and P.R. for the league.<\/p>\n \u201cI see the Guardian Cap as a transitional piece of equipment,\u201d Miller told Eisenberg. \u201cMeaning that if the technology in the helmets continues to improve at the pace that it is right now, that will push players to the better-performing helmets, as opposed to the Guardian Cap.\u201d<\/p>\n The league presumably would like to see the Guardian Cap transition out of in-game use. It\u2019s bulky. It\u2019s clunky. It\u2019s a beanbag chair with an ill-fitting slipcover. In a game that derives much of its appeal from how it looks on TV, the Guardian Cap undermines the aesthetics.<\/p>\n And if it isn\u2019t effective, why wear it?<\/p>\n As one coach told PFT when the Guardian Cap first debuted in practice settings, it can lead to bad habits and create a false sense of security. Moreover, having a helmet on the helmet won\u2019t stop the brain from colliding against the inside of the skull.<\/p>\n Nowinski appeared on the latest episode of Pablo Torre Finds out, where he said the Guardian Cap \u201cappears to be a bit of a scam<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very clear from their behavior and the conversations I\u2019ve had with them,\u201d Nowinski said, \u201cthey love that the public sees the Guardian Caps, because it\u2019s basically virtue signaling.\u201d<\/p>\n Some players have opted to use the Guardian Cap in order to avoid another concussion. Two prominent examples are Saints receiver Chris Olave and Colts cornerback Charvarius Ward<\/a>. Steelers rookie receiver Germie Bernard wears one specifically to protect against potential long-term cognitive issues.<\/p>\n \u201cFor me to play, like longevity, it\u2019s not normal for our brains to be rattled for 10-plus years<\/a>,\u201d Bernard said in August. \u201cSo that is something that can help me in the long run. That\u2019s how I look at it.\u201d<\/p>\n But their brains will still be rattled. Because, like the little ball inside a rattle, the brain is inside the skull.<\/p>\n With or without the Guardian Cap, modern players know the risks \u2014 and they accept them. A recent item from Kevin Seifert and Stephen Holder of ESPN included quotes from various players regarding their willingness to play pro football in exchange for what it gives them<\/a>.<\/p>\n It\u2019s still not clear that all of them know the full extent of the risks. Chris Johnson was \u201cshocked<\/a>\u201d to learn about the connection between football and ALS, after his diagnosis.<\/p>\n