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.
The unanswered question is whether it works. A recent item from Jeff Eisenberg of Yahoo! Sports examined the science.
“The jury is out on whether the Guardian Cap is helping NFL players,” Chris Nowinski, co-founder of Boston University’s CTE Center, told Eisenberg. “We have no reason to believe it’s helping high school and college players.
“We’ve created a sort of nightmare scenario where people strap these things on their kids’ helmets and believe they’re now safe from concussions and CTE. Nothing could be further from the truth.”
Nowinski is quoted several times in Eisenberg’s article. Also quoted is NFL executive V.P. Jeff Miller, who runs both health and safety and P.R. for the league.
“I see the Guardian Cap as a transitional piece of equipment,” Miller told Eisenberg. “Meaning 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.”
The league presumably would like to see the Guardian Cap transition out of in-game use. It’s bulky. It’s clunky. It’s 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.
And if it isn’t effective, why wear it?
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’t stop the brain from colliding against the inside of the skull.
Nowinski appeared on the latest episode of Pablo Torre Finds out, where he said the Guardian Cap “appears to be a bit of a scam.”
“It’s very clear from their behavior and the conversations I’ve had with them,” Nowinski said, “they love that the public sees the Guardian Caps, because it’s basically virtue signaling.”
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. Steelers rookie receiver Germie Bernard wears one specifically to protect against potential long-term cognitive issues.
“For me to play, like longevity, it’s not normal for our brains to be rattled for 10-plus years,” Bernard said in August. “So that is something that can help me in the long run. That’s how I look at it.”
But their brains will still be rattled. Because, like the little ball inside a rattle, the brain is inside the skull.
With or without the Guardian Cap, modern players know the risks — 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.
It’s still not clear that all of them know the full extent of the risks. Chris Johnson was “shocked” to learn about the connection between football and ALS, after his diagnosis.
As Peter King explained on a special edition of #PFTPM to discuss his new book, The Game, fans, media, and players have to find a way to come to terms with still loving football despite knowing its risks. The game will always be there, replete with young men who have no qualms about putting on a helmet and rushing into the fray.
But there will also always be the Chris Johnsons, the Steve Gleasons, and the other men who develop serious neurological issues prematurely, or who spend their golden years struggling with dementia or other related conditions.
It could change once CTE can be detected in a living patient. Even then, however, the supply of twentysomethings who will happily assume the risks will continue to outweigh the demand.
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