GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Gwinnett County Schools are the first in the state to add protective concussion caps to every football helmet in the district.
“It makes me feel like they actually care,” senior linebacker at Duluth High School Brock Enterline said.
He and every other player across the school district will have the caps, called “Guardian Caps,” that aim to reduce concussions.
“These provide a little bit of extra padding to help mitigate that pain,” Gwinnett County Director of Athletics Jason Holcombe said. “We wanted to make sure all our athletes had the option of being protected.”
They work by acting like an airbag with extra padding on top of the helmets to absorb some of the impact of each hit.
“It’s all about reducing impact to the head and reducing those concussive blows,” Mike Crawford with Guardian Sports said.
Peachtree Corners-based Guardian Sports says they have already provided some of the caps to NFL teams to use in practice.
“Since [the NFL] mandated it, [they] have seen a reduction in 52% of their concussions,” Crawford said.
Also, flag football players will have an extra layer of protection for the first time.
“We put it on, it feels comfortable, so they seem secure,” flag football player Tamia Hutchins said.
The caps will be mandatory at Gwinnett County football practices as district leaders say the focus is always on safety.
“Protecting our athletes, protecting the game and encouraging more kids to participate,” Holcombe said.
The hope is that these protective caps will become more common in high school sports nationwide, like they’re used in the NFL and college football.