NFL will allow players to wear Guardian Caps during games starting in 2024 season
The NFL will permit players to wear Guardian Caps during games in the 2024 season. Previously, they could only be used in practices.
I hope the Rams draft the guy on the right tonight. He can hit!Coming soon...
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The lawyer in me wonders if this is actually just a brilliant ploy.
It is not unlikely that the vast majority of players will not wish to use the caps because, they look odd, they are cumbersome, or there is some semblance of peer pressure to refrain from using them (a sort of machismo, perhaps).
The league will then, in future CTE lawsuits, be able to say "we approved safety equipment that players could opt to use, and [PLAINTIFF] declined to take advantage."
Maybe. But then it backfires when some teams start mandating their players wear them and others don't and everything on the field looks like a mess.The lawyer in me wonders if this is actually just a brilliant ploy.
It is not unlikely that the vast majority of players will not wish to use the caps because, they look odd, they are cumbersome, or there is some semblance of peer pressure to refrain from using them (a sort of machismo, perhaps).
The league will then, in future CTE lawsuits, be able to say "we approved safety equipment that players could opt to use, and [PLAINTIFF] declined to take advantage."
I actually thought the same exact thing when I saw the story, I'm glad an attorney backed up my thinkingThe lawyer in me wonders if this is actually just a brilliant ploy.
It is not unlikely that the vast majority of players will not wish to use the caps because, they look odd, they are cumbersome, or there is some semblance of peer pressure to refrain from using them (a sort of machismo, perhaps).
The league will then, in future CTE lawsuits, be able to say "we approved safety equipment that players could opt to use, and [PLAINTIFF] declined to take advantage."
If players generally dislike them, it would be dangerous for individual teams to mandate them, as it could hinder their efforts in free agency.Maybe. But then it backfires when some teams start mandating their players wear them and others don't and everything on the field looks like a mess.
This looks like something that could be a huge mistake for the league and I don't think they can take it back.
I hope it turns out like that.If players generally dislike them, it would be dangerous for individual teams to mandate them, as it could hinder their efforts in free agency.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out, but I won't be shocked if very few players (if any) use the caps. After all, there are all sorts of pads available that players don't use.
Well... except for Eric Dickerson!
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If this is a thing I won't watch the games. I know some will think I'm nuts or poke fun or whatever and that's fine. But for me the helmets matter. If half the dudes out there are wearing lego block heads I'm out.