NFL: Concussions dropped by more than 50% among players who wore Guardian Caps during summer
Concussions among NFL players mandated to wear Guardian Cap equipment dropped by more than 50% this summer compared to the previous three-year average, according to some data released on Wednesday.
For the first time, the league required offensive linemen, defensive linemen, tight ends and linebackers to wear Guardian Caps during practice between the start of training camp until the second preseason game -- a period when concussion rates historically have been elevated. There were 11 concussions among those position groups during that time. Six of those were caused by contact to the face mask, which is not protected by a Guardian Cap.
The previous three-year average for players at those positions during that time period was 23 concussions.
Concussions among players at other positions remained flat, said Jeff Miller, the NFL's executive vice president of communications, public affairs and policy.- Kevin Seifert ESPN Staff Writer
The previous three-year average for players at those positions during that time period was 23 concussions.
Concussions among players at other positions remained flat, said Jeff Miller, the NFL's executive vice president of communications, public affairs and policy.- Kevin Seifert ESPN Staff Writer
The performance of the cap exceeded our expectations in terms of concussion numbers,' NFL executive VP of communications Jeff Miller said.
While the mandate specified only a short amount of time, about 200 players continued to wear the caps after the mandate expired.
The league says they will work with the Players Associate to tackle feedback it received from players, coaches, and equipment managers. They also pledged to fix issues with fit and sizing.
This is such great news and I love that the NFL is trying to find ideas such as this one in order to lower the number of concussions. I also think that there is very little downside to wearing the Guardian caps.
Latest 10 stories
