September 3, 2024
BRIDGEPORT, W.Va (WDTV) – A West Virginia state senator is advocating for a student athlete safety act following the passing of a Boone County middle school football player last month.
Senator Mike Stuart says he will introduce the Cohen Craddock Student Athlete Safety Act at the next session of the legislature.
If passed, the act would require the use of Guardian caps for all elementary and middle school football, as well as in contact high school football practices.
The Guardian cap is a piece of headgear designed to fit snuggly over a player’s football helmet.
According to the senator’s office, the cap reduces the risk of concussions and other head injuries during practice.
Stuart introduced this legislation following the death of Cohen Craddock on August 24th. Craddock was a middle school student athlete from Boone County who passed away from a head injury he sustained at football practice.
Stuart says he will reach out to the NFL, WVU football and Marshall football for support and funding for the legislation.
“We need to take greater precautions not only to prevent tragedies like Cohen Craddock but also to protect against CTE and the perpetual head trauma of our student athletes,” Stuart said. “A minor head trauma over and over again can lead to serious health consequences. We are learning more and more about the impact of chronic head trauma. In too many young athletes, we may not see the impact tomorrow or next week or next month but, rather, in 10 or 20 years we see the tragic impact. It is our responsibility to do more to protect our student athletes on the field.”
“The NFL has embraced Guardian caps. If it’s good enough for the NFL, it’s good enough for us,” Stuart continued. “Keep in mind, players in the NFL have the best safety equipment. NFL helmets are state of the art, updated annually, and can cost more than a thousand dollars. Our student athletes aren’t getting thousand dollar helmets. In fact, I’ll bet many of our student football players are wearing the same helmets that have been worn for years. Guardian caps are affordable and, if the NFL uses them, our kids should as well. It is the least we can do to provide greater safety in competition on the field.”