NFL Mandates Use of Guardian Caps
It was just announced that the NFL has mandated the use of Guardian Caps in the early part of 2022 training camp.
After lab testing showed a “statistically significant” improvement over bare helmets alone, the NFL permitted Guardian Caps in the 2021 season.
Now, after a year of data collection from teams using Guardian Caps, NFL owners announced that the League would mandate the use of Guardian Caps during the early part of 2022 training camp for all OL, DL, TEs, and LBs.
Players will wear Guardian Caps for every preseason practice between the start of the training camp contact period and the second preseason game.
This report by ESPN was first published March 29, 2022. Read the full ESPN article here.
NFL Presents: League-wide Guardian Cap Use to Reduce Head Impacts
On August 11, 2022, the NFL hosted a webinar discussing the League’s comprehensive approach to reducing head impacts on the field. The conversation covered the new League-wide requirement of Guardian Cap this season, as well as other aspects of the NFL’s approach, including annual helmet testing, player helmet choice, and the collection and analysis of data that underpin these efforts. The full webinar is available to view below.
NFL’s Chief Medical Officer on Guardian Caps
“Our engineers at the NFL in conjunction with engineers from the players association have tested these in the laboratory and they found that any blow that happens to the helmet with a Guardian Cap over it reduces the force about 10-15% [at NFL speeds]. So if you imagine putting it on both players, an OL and DL for example, you’ve got an additive effect of over a 20% force reduction.”
– Dr. Allen Sills, NFL’s Chief Medical Officer
@NFL Tweets About Guardian Caps
Guardian Caps are being used by over 100,000+ athletes nationwide to address impacts. See teams that wear Guardian Caps to reduce sub-concussive impacts in practices. To request more information, contact our team.
