By Isabelle Silva
The idea of increased safety in sports, especially contact sports, is no new phenomenon. The 20th Century marked the introduction of mandatory helmet use for college football.[1] Once into the 21st Century, safety equipment not only was mandatory for football players but there became increased awareness and advocacy for player safety when research uncovered the long-term effects of concussions in the sport.[2]
What is currently concerning players, parents, and spectators alike are concussions and related injuries in youth football. In West Virginia, this concern sparked action after a 13-year-old boy passed away from football-related head injuries.[3] Senate Bill 585 (“SB 585”) honors this boy, Cohen Craddock, and calls for soft-shell covers on football helmets, such as Guardian Caps, to be required for all youth football players in the state.[4] The legislation would create a grant program in Craddock’s name to fund the expenses associated with these helmet covers.[5] It also would form a Student Athlete Safety Advisory Council, to investigate methods for enhancing safety in all high school sports.[6] Despite advocacy efforts, SB 585 was never brought to vote in the House.[7] Lawmakers assert though, that it may be introduced again during the next legislative session.[8]
West Virginia is not alone is their efforts. Rhode Island and California have legislation around helmet safety for youth football players. In June of 2025, the Rhode Island House of Representatives approved the bill 2025-H 5088A, which would “mandate the use of a soft-shell helmet cover device that adds a padded, soft-shell layer to the outside of a traditional football helmet, for students participating in Rhode Island Interscholastic League football.”[9] This bill was introduced by Rep. Joseph M. McNamara who himself was a football player. McNamara believes in these caps, as “collisions on the gridiron that result in head injuries are extremely dangerous and have even been fatal at the high school level.”[10] This bill has made little progression despite the measure moving to the Rhode Island Senate.
In California, Assembly Bill 708 (“AB 708”) was introduced to “allow youth tackle football participants to use safety equipment, including soft-shelled add-ons on football helmets” as they are currently prohibited in the state.[11] The Assembly member who introduced this Bill, Avelino Valencia, emphasizes that the goal here is “to make the game as safe as possible, while also providing the opportunity for parents and young people to play this game if they so choose.”[12] Like in Rhode Island, AB 708 has made little progression, and is pending the Senate Appropriations Committee.[13]
So, what about these soft-shell covers, like Guardian Caps? The NFL’s research suggests that the cover not only works, but “exceed[s] expectations.”[14] The 2022 preseason research from the NFL “saw a more than 50% reduction in concussions versus a previous three-year average (2018, 2019, 2021)” when certain position players “were required to wear the padded shell on their helmets in practices up until the second preseason game.”[15] A study at Virginia Tech also produced positive results, citing an “average decreases in concussion risk ranging between 15 and 34%.”[16]
Yet, a recent study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine revealed that these soft-shell helmet covers did not reduce “the risk of sustaining [a concussion] in practice or games.”[17] The focus group was made up of over 2,000 high school football players in the state of Wisconsin and researchers tracked the student-athletes during practice.[18] In comparing concussion rates “between the 1,188 players who did not wear Guardian Caps during practice and the 1,451 players who did, researchers found no statistical difference between the groups.”[19] Further, of the 64 concussions sustained during practice, about half of the players were wearing Guardian Caps and the rest were not.[20]
This bombshell study, included in full at the end of this article, is “one of very few studies to evaluate how the caps perform in real-world conditions.”[21] In addition, as the head researcher points out, “[g]iven the size of our study, it seems that if Guardian Caps did protect against sports-related concussions in high school players, we would have seen that result.”[22]
Although soft-shell helmet covers show promise, the real-world data remains inconclusive. Clearly, no single piece of equipment can fully eliminate concussion risk. What lawmakers can do now is advocate for increased flexibility and visibility in youth sports, rather than uniform national standards. Future movement on this issue will likely depend on longitudinal injury data and compliance reporting. Youth football may never be risk-free, but thoughtful policy can make the game safer without sacrificing joy that brings young athletes to the field in the first place.
Isabelle Silva is a third-year law student at The University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law, where she is Editor-in-Chief of The Sports Law Review. She combines her passion for sports with legal expertise, drawing on her background as a former college athlete. With aspirations to navigate the intersection of employment and sports law, Silva is committed to advocating for athletes’ rights and shaping fair employment practices within the sports industry.
[1] See Amy Daughters, The Evolution of Football Equipment, Bleacher Report (Jun. 8, 2018), https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1642538-the-evolution-of-football-equipment.
[2] See Andrew Garda, Tracing the Evolution of Player Safety Throughout NFL History, Bleacher Report (Jun. 7 2018), https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1113196-tracing-the-evolution-of-player-safety-throughout-nfl-history; Christopher R. Deubert et. al., Protecting and Promoting the Health of NFL Players: Legal and Ethical Analysis and Recommendations, 7 Harv. J. Sports & Ent. L. 456-458 (2016).
[3] Lilly Resienweber, West Virginia lawmakers push for student athlete safety fails, leaving student athletes without additional protections, WV News (Oct. 20, 2025), https://www.wvnews.com/news/wvnews/west-virginia-lawmakers-push-for-student-athlete-safety-fails-leaving-student-athletes-without-additional-protections/article_34c00c87-619c-4646-8a23-61004e188ad5.html; Christopher Marshall, Senate Judiciary Advances Cohen Craddock Student Athlete Safety Act, Wrap Up: Official Blog of the West Virginia Legislature (Mar. 6, 2025), https://blog.wvlegislature.gov/senate-committee/2025/03/06/senate-judiciary-advances-cohen-craddock-student-athlete-safety-act/.
[4] Resienweber, supra note 3; Marshall, supra note 3.
[5] Resienweber, supra note 3; Marshall, supra note 3.
[6] Marshall, supra note 3.
[7] Resienweber, supra note 3.
[8] Marshall, supra note 3.
[9] State of Rhode Island General Assembly, House OKs McNamara Bill Requiring Soft Shell Helmet Covers for High School Football Players (June 3, 2025), https://www.rilegislature.gov/pressrelease/_layouts/RIL.PressRelease.ListStructure/Forms/DisplayForm.aspx?List=c8baae31%2D3c10%2D431c%2D8dcd%2D9dbbe21ce3e9&ID=375547&Web=2bab1515%2D0dcc%2D4176%2Da2f8%2D8d4beebdf488.
[10] Id.
[11] Sam Trusner, California Lawmakers Mull Bill Allowing Youth Football Players to Wear Helmet Safety Add-Ons, Athl. Equipment Managers Ass’n (July 14, 2025), https://equipmentmanagers.org/california-lawmakers-mull-bill-allowing-youth-football-players-to-wear-helmet-safety-add-ons/.
[12] Id.
[13] California Assembly Bill 708, Reg. Sess. (Cal. 2025), https://legiscan.com/CA/bill/AB708/2025.
[14] NFL, Guardian Cap Results: “Exceeded Our Expectations,” NFL Player Health & Safety, (Sept. 19, 2022 , 3:41 PM), https://www.nfl.com/playerhealthandsafety/equipment-and-innovation/engineering-technology/guardian-cap-results-exceeded-our-expectations.
[15] Id.
[16] Virginia Tech Helmet Lab, Football Helmet Shell Add-On Testing, (2024) (last visited Nov. 3, 2025), https://www.helmet.beam.vt.edu/football-helmet-add-ons.html.
[17] Emily Hammer et al., The Association Between Guardian Cap Use During Practices and Sport-Related Concussion Risk in High School American Football Players, 59 Br. J. Sports Med. 257 (2025), https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2024-108945.
[18] University of Wisconsin School of Medicine & Public Health, Football Helmet Covers Do Not Reduce Concussions for High School Players (Feb. 12, 2025), https://www.med.wisc.edu/news/football-helmet-covers-ineffective-for-concussions/.
[19] Id.
[20] Id.
[21] Id.
[22] Id.
