Fox 8 (New Orleans, LA)
October 31, 2024
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – The NFL mandates that players wear padded helmet covers called Guardian Caps in practice and the preseason. The NFL’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Allen Sills recently called the caps an “unqualified success” when it came to reducing preseason concussions.
But a Louisiana regulation is making it difficult for local high school football players to wear the same extra layer of protection. Parents are questioning why the gear credited with protecting NFL players isn’t readily available for high school players.
Erin Joseph recalls watching helplessly from the bleachers during a preseason jamboree, after her son Jerod took a hard hit on the field.
“It was just during a normal play,” Erin said. “He had a hit … people piled on him … he blacked out for a minute … it was terrifying.”
Jerod was poised to start as center for The Willow School Lions in New Orleans his senior season, but after the hit, he wouldn’t return to the game.
“It’s the disaster nightmare thing that you don’t want to happen. You don’t want your kid to be hurt,” Erin said.
The family went to the emergency room immediately, where doctors diagnosed Jerod with a concussion. Erin says her son weighed the consequences of getting another concussion, before finding out a spinal injury would sideline him for the rest of the season.
Lions quarterback Jake Guichet says the team suffered a blow with Jerod out for the season.
“To see him go down before the season, and then hear that he’s probably not going to be able to play at all, was, I mean, devastating for us,” Guichet said.
But despite the injury, Lions coach J.J. Smith says Jerod remains a strong presence on the sideline.
“Jerod is a vocal leader. He’s one of the best guys in the weight room. You know, he’s a coach at heart,” Smith said.
But between season-ending injuries and concussions like the one Jerod suffered, Smith says more parents are apprehensive about letting their kids risk potentially life-altering injuries to play prep football.
“We’ve seen a decline in our numbers, because a lot of parents just don’t want them to play high school football because of the concussions,” Smith said.
Dr. Shannon Goode, a primary care sports medicine physician with Ochsner Andrews Sports Medicine Institute, said she sees collision-related injuries such as concussions in every sport. But she says she sees them most frequently in football.
“In football, collision is what you want at certain times. You need to stop someone from movement, you collide with them,” Goode said. “When it comes to protective gear in sports, there are going to be injuries. How do we prevent them from being severe? How do we prevent them from being life-altering?”
In 2010, Guardian Sports created a soft-shell helmet called a Guardian Cap, in an attempt to increase protection during the inevitable impacts within football.
“The theory behind a helmet in football is almost like the same theory of wearing your seatbelt when you’re in the car … adding a Guardian Cap is like the airbag in the car,” Goode said. “It’s an extra layer of protection to hopefully prevent us from developing severe injury when we do suffer a collision or trauma.”
In 2017, Guardian Caps won the first-ever NFL HeadHealthTech Challenge, and secured an investment from the league as it pushed to develop improved safety equipment.
By 2022, the NFL mandated that linemen, linebackers and tight ends wear Guardian Caps during training camp. In 2023, the league added running backs and fullbacks to the list and expanded the mandate to say the caps had to be worn in all practices throughout the season.
This year, the NFL added wide receivers and defensive backs to the list and began allowing players to wear the caps during regular-season games.
Coach Smith says he began looking into acquiring the Guardian Caps for his young players. Thanks to a Willow alumni working with the New Orleans Saints and backup quarterback Jake Haener, Willow was gifted 70 Guardian Caps, enough to outfit the entire squad.
The team wore the caps all summer during practice.
In August, another parent of one of the players emailed Eric Held, the director of the Louisiana High School Coaches Association, to clarify whether the Lions could wear the Guardian Caps during games. The LHSCA is a sub-entity of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association, which is responsible for regulating high school athletic programs across the state.
Held responded, “Concerning the use of Guardian Caps, I would discuss this with your (athletic director) and/or head football coach. Many teams use them in practice, they are permissible; however, in games, helmet manufacturers will tell you that third-party accessories would not be approved because the helmets are certified for the helmet only. So, it is up to the school to check with their individual helmet manufacturers concerning this.”
For Smith, that meant that unlike NFL players, Guichet and the Lions couldn’t wear Guardian Caps during games.
“We were expecting to wear them all year,” Smith said. “I was trying to think about how we can put our logo on the sides and stuff like that. And then they said we could not wear them during the games in competition.
“We have to stay compliant. And so, by wearing those hats, we would be out of compliance. So, we wear them during practice. And when the game time comes, we take them off.”
LHSAA executive director Eddie Bonine told Fox 8 a decision on Guardian Caps is up to the helmet maker, not the LHSAA.
“We don’t prohibit them from wearing them, nor are we going to tell them that they can wear them,” Bonine said. “That’s got to be a decision made by the school and their manufacturer. Because the manufacturer, ultimately, is responsible for if there’s a head injury.”
Determined to get the Guardian Caps approved for the Lions, the parent reached out to Riddell, the manufacturer of Willow’s SpeedFlex Helmets. The parent requested a letter of compliance that would allow Willow to use the caps during games.
Riddell’s customer care team responded, “Riddell can only suggest that the helmet should be used the way that they are tested and approved by NOCSAE, and as of now the helmet has only been approved the direct way we make them. We as a company can only OK the way it comes out of here.”
The LHSAA says that in Louisiana, helmets must be recertified under the guidelines of the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOSCAE) every two years to ensure they’re safe for play.
Bonine said there is no rule banning players from wearing the caps, but without approval from the manufacturer, Willow could be making its helmets ineligible for recertification just by wearing them in practice.
“They’re wearing them in practice. So much for the NOCSAE seal. Wear them during the game. So, somebody — not us, but somebody at The Willow School — is making the determination they can (wear them),” Bonine said.
Held said, “It’s the same whether it’s practice or game. The NOCSAE seal is applicable to both practice and game.”
Effectively, that means that if the Lions want their helmets to remain compliant, they can’t use the donated Guardian Caps at all.
Dr. Goode says that while Guardian Caps seem to help, the science is not yet definitive.
“They’ve been studying these Guardian Caps for almost 10 years now, and the data … unfortunately, can swing either way,” Goode said. “So, that’s why there’s so many narratives out there, of if it’s foolproof or it’s really great or it doesn’t work at all.”
But she said the mental reassurance from the perception of added safety can help athletes.
“The Guardian helmets aren’t causing harm, correct? There are no studies to say that we have increased risk of injury by wearing the Guardian helmet,” Goode said.
That’s why Joseph is confused by the LHSAA’s requirement.
“Why not use it? It’s something that’s going to add a layer of protection. It’s a no-brainer,” Joseph said. “It feels very strange, and it does not follow any logic. So, you know, I’m not going to accuse the LHSAA if anything, but it also feels lazy.”
The parent who originally emailed the LHSAA about concerns also reached out to Guardian Sports about the issue. In response, national sales manager Mike Finney called the LHSAA’s requirement for a letter of compliance from the manufacturer “insane.” He added, “Riddell is not involved in the rulemaking process, and our Guardian Caps do NOT cause helmets to be decertified, nor do they void warranties.”
Bonine says the decision isn’t arbitrary and is based on liability.
“If there’s a reason why the company won’t approve it, then that conversation (needs to be had with) Riddell. Because … this organization is not going to overstep a manufacturer, and then at that point, voids any warranty, though, on the helmet equipment, just so I’m being attacked. The fact that I don’t give a (expletive) about … the safety of athletes, that’s wrong. That’s not true at all.”
But some on the Lions hope to see a change that would allow them to wear the caps without risking voiding their helmets’ safety certification.
“I think, especially in high school for sure, kids should be able to wear them,” Guichet said.
Smith said, “I hope, somehow, there’s change that happens. … Looking at these kids here, and we have some of the brightest minds in the state out here on the field right here, and we want to protect them.”
Joseph added, “When people realize that this is something that even professional athletes can use, but their kids are not being allowed to use, it will start to create a conversation and hopefully change that.”
In a statement to Fox 8, Guardian further disputed Riddell’s claim that the caps could decertify or void the warranty of a helmet, writing, “Since the inception of Guardian Caps in 2011, no helmet warranty has been voided to our knowledge.”
Guardian CEO and owner Erin Hanson said in the statement, “We are committed to ensuring that athletes using Guardian Caps can benefit from the best possible protection while also preserving the validity of the helmet manufacturer’s warranty. To this end, Guardian hereby guarantees that we will honor the helmet replacement warranty for any helmet that is damaged while equipped with a Guardian Cap, even if the helmet manufacturer chooses to void the warranty due to the presence of our product.
“We believe that this collaboration will provide athletes with a comprehensive solution, where the benefits of both Guardian Caps and helmet products can coexist harmoniously. Our intention is to ensure that athletes have access to the highest level of protection while maintaining the confidence that the warranty coverage remains intact.”
Riddell has not responded to Fox 8’s request for comment.
The LHSAA says its rule-making committee is comprised of 408 principals from schools across the state. Bonine says any request for a rule change would need to be written up by one of those principals. Rule change requests are considered at the LHSAA’s annual commission meetings each January.