My friend Tim went to a high school football game recently to cheer on his grandson, the quarterback. He was thrilled every time the kid completed a pass, especially for a touchdown. But Tim hated seeing him sacked, cringing as the boy’s head banged into the turf or when he and another player slammed their helmets into each other.
Fortunately, the QB was able to get up after each instance and continue to play, but Tim admitted to me that he’s worried about what might be happening to the kid’s brain. Naturally, he’d hate to have his grandson suffers the effects of multiple concussions or CTE — in both the short and long term.
When Tim told me this story, I mentioned watching the new season of “Hard Knocks,” the NFL Films series streaming on Max and currently focused on the teams of the AFC North (Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Cleveland, and Cincinnati). In each episode, while the players are practicing during the week, most of them are wearing Guardian Caps, padded helmet covers which help reduce the impact of blows to the head. The devices don’t eliminate all the dangers, but seem to lessen them.
The company that makes Guardian Caps claims on its website they are used in more than 5,000 high schools. That’s good, but only accounts for a third of those with football programs. They should be on the head of every high school player in the country — including Tim’s grandson.
After all, what’s the use of training their brains inside the school if they’re going to be allowed to be turned into mush outside?