(FreedomBeacon.com)- Concussion rates among NFL players fell drastically this summer after the league mandated that select players wear Guardian Caps throughout the preseason.
From the start of training camp until the second preseason game, offensive and defensive linemen, linebackers, and tight ends were compelled to wear Guardian Caps throughout practice, and the results were positive. Reports show data demonstrated a 50% reduction in concussions among athletes required to wear them.
According to entertainment media, the previous three-year average of concussions among linemen, linebackers, and tight ends at this time in the season was 23. With the adoption of the caps, the number of players at these positions fell to 11.
A 2017 research from Boston University indicated that 110 of the brains of deceased NFL players had Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), which is brain damage caused by repeated head trauma. Almost all of the players tested had brain injuries from playing football.
According to Jesse Mez, the study’s primary author, the findings imply that there is very likely a link between exposure to football and the risk of having the condition.
Junior Seau, a Hall of Fame linebacker, killed himself in 2012 following a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest at his house in Oceanside, California. It was eventually discovered that Seau had CTE. Seau played in the NFL for 20 years and most likely contracted the condition through tackles he made throughout his career.
Reports show Seau’s friend Joe Gallagher said the former linebacker made a comment that indicated CTE was a possible issue. Gallagher claimed Seau wanted to donate his brain to science to study his concussive injuries.
According to CBS News, former NFL defenseman Phillip Adams was also diagnosed with CTE. Adams murdered six people in South Carolina, including his doctor and grandkids, before committing suicide in April 2021. The expert who analyzed Adam’s brain stated that his time playing football caused his CTE, which may have incited him to murder.
Why has it taken the NFL this long to do something about brain injuries?