I've noticed in these practice photos, the players are all wearing that extra cushion on their helmets - ostensibly to cut down on the number of concussions happening at practice. Stands to reason. They're called "guardian caps." They claim to cut concussions by a third. And teams apparently believe them, given their prevalence at practice.
But if teams are wearing these things to cut down concussions during practice, why don't we see these on Saturdays? I did a little digging and consulted my brain trust.
"The NCAA does not limit the use of a Guardian Cap in practices, but players can’t wear them in games.
Using a helmet add-on creates a new model of helmet, so an existing helmet certification, to the standard set by the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment, does not automatically apply, Christopher Radford, NCAA associate director for public relations, wrote in an email to the Knoxville News Sentinel.
If a helmet manufacturer certified a helmet with a helmet add-on, that could create an exception, but that hasn’t happened.
“This is a NOCSAE and helmet manufacturing issue,” Radford said."
https://www.knoxnews.com/story/spor...s-helmet-covers-concussions-tests/3104393002/
Is that the dumbest thing you've ever heard of or what? What's worse, this same BS was trotted out by the NOCSAE in 2013:
Borgmann said NOCSAE hasn’t tested or certified Guardian Caps. He said that means, by rule, they cannot be used in high school football games.
There’s only one problem: NOCSAE doesn’t actually test or certify anything. The organization sets parameters for testing. But that testing is done by manufacturers. Riddell certifies Riddell equipment. Schutt certifies Schutt and so on. Right now, POC can’t certify Guardian Caps.
Currently, it’s a back-scratching setup with no governmental oversight. Riddell must make a sample of each helmet model available for inspection by a third-party laboratory. There is one at the University of Tennessee and two others by the names of Intertek and ICS. There’s another, too, the Bureau Veritas in China.
These labs are accredited by another private nonprofit called The American Association for Laboratory Accreditation. All of these nonprofits share some board members or, at the very least, have industry leaders as part of the board makeup. There is no government oversight to the testing or procedures used for equipment intended for use by the nation’s sporting youths.
Indeed, NOCSAE’s job, according to Oliver and the organization’s website, is to develop testing standards. Yet Oliver said NOCSAE simply doesn’t have a standard for third-party add-ons. Although the organization has the power to create standards, Oliver said without a standard, NOCSAE’s hands are tied.
https://usatodayhss.com/2013/ban-on-helmet-covers-sparks-controversy
What a bizarre bureaucratic problem. Everyone knows football is dangerous. This product contends that it can cut concussions by a third, the programs and players tend to believe them. Yet, for six years, we can't figure out a way to test it so that they can wear it during games?
But if teams are wearing these things to cut down concussions during practice, why don't we see these on Saturdays? I did a little digging and consulted my brain trust.
"The NCAA does not limit the use of a Guardian Cap in practices, but players can’t wear them in games.
Using a helmet add-on creates a new model of helmet, so an existing helmet certification, to the standard set by the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment, does not automatically apply, Christopher Radford, NCAA associate director for public relations, wrote in an email to the Knoxville News Sentinel.
If a helmet manufacturer certified a helmet with a helmet add-on, that could create an exception, but that hasn’t happened.
“This is a NOCSAE and helmet manufacturing issue,” Radford said."
https://www.knoxnews.com/story/spor...s-helmet-covers-concussions-tests/3104393002/
Is that the dumbest thing you've ever heard of or what? What's worse, this same BS was trotted out by the NOCSAE in 2013:
Borgmann said NOCSAE hasn’t tested or certified Guardian Caps. He said that means, by rule, they cannot be used in high school football games.
There’s only one problem: NOCSAE doesn’t actually test or certify anything. The organization sets parameters for testing. But that testing is done by manufacturers. Riddell certifies Riddell equipment. Schutt certifies Schutt and so on. Right now, POC can’t certify Guardian Caps.
Currently, it’s a back-scratching setup with no governmental oversight. Riddell must make a sample of each helmet model available for inspection by a third-party laboratory. There is one at the University of Tennessee and two others by the names of Intertek and ICS. There’s another, too, the Bureau Veritas in China.
These labs are accredited by another private nonprofit called The American Association for Laboratory Accreditation. All of these nonprofits share some board members or, at the very least, have industry leaders as part of the board makeup. There is no government oversight to the testing or procedures used for equipment intended for use by the nation’s sporting youths.
Indeed, NOCSAE’s job, according to Oliver and the organization’s website, is to develop testing standards. Yet Oliver said NOCSAE simply doesn’t have a standard for third-party add-ons. Although the organization has the power to create standards, Oliver said without a standard, NOCSAE’s hands are tied.
https://usatodayhss.com/2013/ban-on-helmet-covers-sparks-controversy
What a bizarre bureaucratic problem. Everyone knows football is dangerous. This product contends that it can cut concussions by a third, the programs and players tend to believe them. Yet, for six years, we can't figure out a way to test it so that they can wear it during games?
