sport news NFL report: concussions dropped 50 PERCENT when players wore new 'Guardian ... trends now
A new piece of equipment for certain NFL players was panned in preseason training, however, a new report says they are effective.
According to data released Wednesday, NFL players mandated to wear so-called 'Guardian Caps' saw a 50% drop in concussions compared to the average from the last three years.
The league required tight ends, linebackers, and linemen on both sides of the ball to wear the soft-shell-esque liners over their helmets from the start of training camp up to the second preseason game. Concussion rates have historically seen increases during that time period.
Only 11 concussions were recorded at those positions during the offseason, compared to the previous three-year average of 23. Of those 11 concussions, 6 resulted from hits to the face mask, which isn't protected by the Guardian cap.
An NFL report says the use of 'Guardian caps' reduced training camp concussions drastically
Waffled, soft-shell helmet that reduces the impact of helmet-to-helmet hits
Closely resembles rugby's scrum cap
Introduced as part of the NFL's ongoing effort to reduce head trauma during practices
Can reduce the force of head contact by 10 percent for one player
Can reduce the force of head contact by 20 percent if every player involved in a collision is wearing one
Offensive and defensive lineman, right ends and linebackers required to wear them in training
Used between training camp start and second preseason games
Guardian Caps reduces the impact of helmet-to-helmet hits
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"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.
