What Are These “Guardian Caps” the Bears Are Getting?

With football season back in full effect, it is time to talk about how the Chicago Bears are undertaking an initiative to ensure that their players are safe and protected during the games and practices.

One of the new equipment pieces that was recently introduced is the guardian caps. These caps are a strategy to prevent and reduce concussions and other traumatic brain injuries among football players.

What are guardian caps and what is their purpose?

According to a recent article published by Fox 32, the National Football League (NFL) introduced guardian caps within the past year in football training camps. The Chicago Bears recently started using these caps during their practices. Now, the NFL is requiring all football players to wear guardian caps during preseason and regular season games.

Guardian caps are described in the article as “a very light soft padded shell that goes over any existing helmet.” Players use Velcro and a strap to secure the caps on top of their helmets. As a result, these newly used pieces of protection equipment are extremely easy to use and are not adding any inconvenience to football players.

The purpose of these caps is to reduce and prevent injuries to the players’ heads, and, so far, they have shown fantastic results. In fact, the rate of getting concussions has decreased by more than 50 percent when compared to previous years. The guardian caps work by moving and redirecting the impact and force that a football player experiences around the helmet area. Instead, the force and impact are directed around the helmet instead of within the helmet.

Although guardian caps are new to the NFL, these products have been around for more than 10 years. The company who makes these caps, Guardian Sports, did not have an objective in mind to create a product to prevent and reduce concussions; they just wanted to help reduce head injuries and the force and impact that football players feel and experience as well as have a positive impact on the players’ quality of life.

Who else is using guardian caps?

Local schools around Illinois are also adapting to the idea of using guardian caps. As a matter of fact, the Lyons Township High School in La Grange, Illinois believes that these equipment pieces are very beneficial to their football players. The head football coach for the Lyons Township High School, Jon Beutier, stated that the school has seen concussions decrease during practices due to guardian caps. One of the football players also explained how easy it is to use the guardian caps, stating that they are “something you don’t even have to think about. It just goes on your helmet. It’s not even a hassle at all.” He suffered a concussion in wrestling recently and said that he never wants to have one again.

What are the professionals saying about guardian caps?

Dr. Elizabeth Pieroth, the doctor who works with injured football players from the Chicago Bears, was asked if she believes that the guardian caps are making a difference and preventing concussions and other head injuries among football players. She made the statement that “the jury is still out on that.” She says that the NFL is currently looking at various alternatives to protecting football players’ heads. Some of these products go on top of their helmets, while others go inside their helmets. Unfortunately, it is very difficult and basically impossible to prevent the brain from hitting the skull. So, she states there is currently no exact way to prevent concussions with a piece of equipment.

Instead, Pieroth stands firm on telling football players that their technique makes a huge difference in preventing concussions. You must watch your head when you are tackled or blocked. If you want to make sure that you are wearing the proper equipment, she strongly suggests wearing a good helmet that fits correctly. This is extremely important when it comes to protecting your head.

What is CTE and how can it affect a person’s life?

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a disorder that occurs when an individual experiences recurring injuries to their head. After each impact or blow to the head, more nerve cells become permanently damaged and die. This is a progressive disorder, meaning that it becomes worse with time. Unfortunately, when individuals have CTE, they usually never know it. The reason for this is because it cannot be found or diagnosed until after the individual passes away and medical examiners conduct an autopsy on their brain.

CTE is a medical crisis in the football industry. More and more football players are dying, and it is being revealed that they had CTE. Some of the ways that this condition can affect a person’s life includes:

• Experiencing severe mood swings
• Becoming angry and irritable quickly
• Developing personality disorders, depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues
• Becoming very aggressive toward others or suicidal
• Developing memory loss and dementia
• Inability to make decisions and lacking judgment skills

Why do helmet ratings matter?

When you purchase or decide to put on a helmet for a football game, it is crucial that you make sure it has been rated. Football is a sport that players should expect to be hit or tackled multiple times per game. Therefore, you want to make sure that your head is protected as much as possible. One of the top recommended ways to do this is to check and use helmets with great ratings. Below, we will explain how helmets are rated.

• First, the helmets are rated by how frequently people who are wearing them suffer similar hits and impacts.
• Then, the helmets are rated by how likely they are to reduce individuals’ risk of injuries.

The helmets are given ratings of one star to five star with five stars being the best. It is recommended that athletes wear helmets with a four or five-star rating.

If you were recently hurt in a sports accident and believe negligence was involved, please do not hesitate to get in touch with the Chicago personal injury attorneys at Gainsberg Injury and Accident Lawyers at your earliest convenience. Our team knows the ins and outs of various sports accident cases, and we will do everything we can to find out who is responsible for your injuries and hold them accountable. All you have to do is call our office or fill out our contact form, and we will schedule your free case review today.