Concussion numbers among NFL players dropped dramatically over the summer after the league instituted Guardian Caps for certain players to wear during the pre-season.
Offensive and defensive linemen, along with linebackers and tight-ends, were required to wear Guardian Caps during practice from the beginning of training camp up until the second preseason game, and the results were promising. Data released Wednesday revealed a 50% decrease in concussions among the players mandated to wear them.
On the NFL conference call, there was very promising news about the Guardian Cap that certain players were required to wear during training camp. Of the positions wearing them (OL, DL, TE, LB), 11 concussions reported, down from 23. More work to be done on fit and size.
— Judy Battista (@judybattista) September 14, 2022
The previous three-year average of concussions among linemen, linebackers, and tight-ends at this point in the season was 23, according to ESPN. With the use of the caps, the number dropped to 11 from players at these positions.
A 2017 study from Boston University found that out of 111 brains of deceased NFL players, 110 of them were discovered to have Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), which is brain damage from repeated head trauma. Nearly all the players who were examined suffered brain damage from playing tackle football.
The lead author of the study, Jesse Mez, said that “the data suggest that there is very likely a relationship between exposure to football and risk of developing the disease.”
In 2012, Hall of Fame linebacker Junior Seau committed suicide after a self-induced gunshot to his chest at his home in Oceanside, California. It was later revealed that Seau suffered from CTE. Seau played in the NFL for 20 years, and likely formed the brain disease from tackles he made throughout the course of his career. (RELATED:NBA Suspends Phoenix Suns Owner Robert Sarver For One Year, Fines Him $10 Million)
Former NFL defenseman Phillip Adams suffered from CTE, as well. Adams shot and killed six people in South Carolina, including his doctor and his grandchildren, before killing himself in April of 2021.
The doctor who examined Adam’s brain claimed that his time spent playing football “definitely … gave rise” to his CTE, which may have incited him to commit the murders of others and himself, according to CBS News.