COTTAGE GROVE, Minn. — The football players at Park High School of Cottage Grove have largely gotten used to the addition by this point. After all, they've already worn them for an entire season.
"Not everyone was the biggest fan of the look of it at first, but we got used to it," Gheritt Museus, a junior defensive end with the Wolfpack, said. "I think they actually look really good, and, yeah, they definitely help."
Guardian Caps have been standard for players during practice, and last season, the team wore them during games as well.
"My sophomore year I actually got a concussion, and freshman year I got a concussion, but sophomore year was more severe," Eyuel Miftah, a senior wide receiver and defensive back, said. "I feel like the Guardian Caps have helped me for sure, because I haven't had, like, any head injuries after."
"I think it's a really big deal, because it causes less injuries and more chances for me to play in the games," senior nose guard Jr. Mendoza said.
Of course, some said the addition looked odd, out of place in the equipment players wear. Head Coach Rick Fryklund said make fun of it all you want – it works.
"There was some people, you know, they look funny. Well, seat belts looked funny when those first came out, too. And now everyone's using them," he said.
"We have noticed a continual decline in concussions and other head injuries that we have there," Fryklund continued.
Fryklund added that they'll need this years data to fully know how things look, but still – there's proof that these work.
"I tell people unabashedly that I can look any mother in the eye in this community and let them know that we're keeping their student athlete as safe as we can," he said.
Of course, it makes things easier to ask athletes to wear when icons of the sport are wearing them too.
"I mean, I look up to these guys, and the fact that they're also starting to wear these, I think it's awesome," Museus said.
Multiple NFL players wore Guardian Caps during preseason games this year. Some will continue wearing those during the regular season as well.
"For me it was a no-brainer," Indianapolis Colts Tight End Kylen Granson said in a video posted to his TikTok page. "I said, 'yes, I'm, going to wear it the whole season.'"
It's a noticeable and visible step for safety gear in football, and representation for a team ahead of the curve.
"Football is a great game, don't get me wrong," Miftah said. "But, like, there's bigger things outside of football, health is definitely one of those."