INDIANAPOLIS – Indianapolis Colts tight end Kylen Granson wore a Guardian Cap over his helmet throughout the preseason and plans to proceed doing so throughout the regular season to further protect his brain from long-term damage.
“At some point people thought seat belts were damn stupid,” Granson said The athlete on Thursday. “Why shouldn't I wear it? Just because it looks silly? I think health and safety are more important than aesthetics.”
After Granson's comments went viral, the four-year pro further explained his position in an Instagram video on Friday. Granson and a whole lot of other NFL players began wearing Guardian Caps, essentially soft-shell padding attached to their helmets, when the NFL required certain position groups to wear them in practice ahead of the 2022 season.
He is blissful with the outcomes to this point, and now that the league allows players to wear the protectors during games, Granson says it's a “no-brainer” to guard his brain even higher.
“There is no aesthetic dimension that can outweigh what a TBI (traumatic brain injury) can do to you,” Granson said via Instagram. “And one of the lesser known things is that you don't just have to worry about the big hits, you have to worry about the sum of a series of small hits.”
He compared a player's brain to Jell-O, explaining that each time a football player takes a success and his brain shakes like Jell-O, it could not appear to be much within the moment, but it surely could have dire and even fatal consequences later. Granson also noted that a whole lot of those small concussions can occur during OTAs and offseason training camps, during a three-game preseason, a 17-game regular season, and much more games if a team makes the playoffs.
Granson, 26, suffered a concussion in a Week 6 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars last 12 months and sat out the subsequent two games.
However, Granson said he would wear a Guardian cap even when he hadn't suffered a concussion. The tragic stories of Pro Football Hall of Fame member Junior Seau and former New England Patriots tight end and convicted murderer Aaron Hernandez, who each committed suicide and were later diagnosed with CTE, are a sobering reminder for Granson.
“I want to live forever,” Granson said, half-joking. “I don't want someone to dig me up when I'm gone and examine my brain.”
Granson elaborated on the matter on Instagram, saying he desires to have the ability to recollect the primary dance at his upcoming wedding and his future child's first steps “30 years from now.” But beyond his own wishes, he sees it as his responsibility to be a job model for the tens of millions of youngsters who look as much as NFL players.
“I want to inspire kids to think that health and safety is cool too,” Granson said on Instagram. “You can do cool things on the soccer field and still wear a Guardian Cap. I want my (future) kids to wear helmets when they ride bikes. … Because there's just no coolness that's worth going into a hospital room and having your kid be in a vegetative state because they didn't wear a helmet. Because they didn't want to look stupid.”
Since 2022, the NFL reports that Guardian Caps have resulted in a 50 percent reduction in concussions amongst players who’ve worn them in practice.
NFL Executive Vice President Jeff Miller told ESPN Earlier this 12 months, along with the Guardian Caps, recent helmets were introduced that “offer just as much – if not more – protection as any other helmet model when combined with a Guardian Cap.”
Ultimately, it's still the player's decision and it's actually a hot topic in NFL locker rooms. Some Colts players who support Granson's Guardian Cap are themselves vehemently against wearing one due to the best way it looks. Granson is certainly one of no less than two Indianapolis players who will wear the additional headgear anyway, as safety Rodney Thomas II said he plans to wear a Guardian Cap throughout the regular season as well.
Colts running back Jonathan Taylor might be probably the most famous NFL player to have worn a Guardian Cap throughout the preseason, although he wouldn’t commit to wearing it throughout the regular season.
Granson said on Instagram that he loves football with all his heart, but that it isn’t value risking his life or that of his family for fear of being ridiculed or perceived as idiotic.
“It's about more than me. It's about more than just looking cool,” Granson said. “And if I can do the same things on the field and be safe, why wouldn't I want that? Why wouldn't you want that as a fan? Some of your best players could play longer and protect their health.”
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