NFL says Guardian Caps reduced concussions by over 50%
Those puffy helmets that look like oversized dog toys may look funny, but they're supposedly helping prevent major head injuries.
In a conference call this week, NFL executive Jeff Miller told the media that the Guardian Caps certain position players were required to wear in the preseason helped cut down instances of concussion by roughly 50 percent.
Offensive linemen, defensive linemen, tight ends, and linebackers were all required to wear Guardian Caps during practice between the start of training camp and the second preseason game -- a period of time that typically sees a lot of concussions occur, ESPN reported.
Miller said the results from the recent preseason experiment went better than planned.
The NFL still has to work with the Players Association, coaches and equipment managers to get more feedback, so a date for when the league might try to implement Guardian Caps during the regular season has not been determined. For the time being, however, the results are promising.
"We want to work our way through those comments before we're ready to make a commitment for next season," Miller said, via ESPN. "We're really pleased with how it went and optimistic that a device like this will improve the health and safety of our athletes. But what exactly that looks like, I think we need a little bit of time and a fair number of conversations before we get to that point."
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