The NFL has made it a mission to promote the use of Guardian Caps, those soft-shell helmet covers designed to provide an additional layer of protection and, according to the league’s own claims, reduce the risk of concussions. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has spoken enthusiastically about their supposed success.
It’s actually reduced concussions by 50%.
He told Stephen A. Smith in 2023 during an appearance on First Take.
At the league’s annual meeting in 2024, Goodell repeated a similar assertion:
It has been very effective and reduced concussions by 52%.
A new study contradicts Goodell’s statements
A study published this past July in the American Journal of Sports Medicine disputes those claims. Researchers examined data collected between 2018 and 2023 during NFL training camps and found that concussion rates resulting from helmet-to-helmet impacts were not significantly different between players who wore Guardian Caps and those who did not.
But that was not the only conclusion. The study also described the benefits of Guardian Caps as “uncertain.”
The authors of this new research are Allen Sills, the NFL’s chief medical officer, and Thom Mayer, medical director for the NFL Players Association (NFLPA). Despite the findings, the league has remained silent. Instead of addressing the data, it has continued promoting the use of Guardian Caps, even publishing an article claiming that preseason results show a 50% reduction in concussions.
Meanwhile, Arthur Caplan, a medical ethicist at New York University, has openly criticized how the NFL is handling the issue.
I’m concerned that if it didn’t really show credible and warranted evidence that the caps were helping, that maybe there hasn’t been a rush to bring the study forward.
For now, the league requires all 1,700 players to wear Guardian Caps during practices, though their use during games remains optional. Some players have complained about the added weight, 11.9 ounces and 14 ounces depending on the size of the cap, and the additional heat they generate when attached to helmets.
Guardian Sports, the company that manufactures the product, claims that more than 500,000 athletes use their caps, a figure that has increased by 200,000 since the NFL made them mandatory during preseason practices.
The league’s efforts to enhance player safety continue, but the controversy surrounding the true effectiveness of Guardian Caps highlights a persistent concern. Despite all the technological advances in football equipment, the NFL is still struggling to find reliable solutions to prevent concussions, an issue that directly impacts the athletes at the heart of the game.
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