With another study underscoring the long-term risks of head trauma, more players may decide to add a Guardian Cap to their helmets.
Steelers rookie receiver Germie Bernard is one of them.
Appearing on the Not Just Football with Cam Heyward podcast, Bernard said he’ll wear the extra layer of protection all season.
Here’s the full quote, as transcribed by the folks at Steelers Depot: “I’m standing on it. I’m gonna wear it. Yes, the entire year. Me and my lady were talking about it and everything, and she was just like, ‘I don’t want you to end up like some of these guys out here that don’t play football no more.’ And I’m like, ‘It wouldn’t actually be a bad idea.’ For me to play, like longevity, it’s not normal for our brains to be rattled for 10-plus years. So that is something that can help me in the long run. That’s how I look at it.”
The Guardian Cap has become a fixture during football practices. After initially declining to let players wear one during a game, the league relented. And a growing number of players use them in games.
The balance is safety versus aesthetics. They’re bulky and clunky. But they’re apparently effective.
Above all else, the extra layer of protection can’t hurt — unless it gives the player a false sense of security and causes him to be less careful about making or absorbing contact with his head.
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