The deaths of two young football players at the end of August led to a new conversation about the safety of youth football. A 13-year-old high school student died from brain trauma while training, but his father, Ryan Craddock, recently spoke out, saying this tragedy doesn’t mean kids should give up the sport.
Instead, the father is urging schools to add head protectors, called Guardian Caps, to their football helmets.
“I don’t want to waste time,” Craddock said in an interview with CBS News. “So that’s why I’m now trying to push for custody caps for these kids…I don’t want this to happen to anyone else.”
In August, Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman James Daniels wore a protective hood during a preseason game against the Houston Texans. He became one of the first, if not the first, NFL player to wear one during a game. The caps have become more common during training.
Cohen died the same weekend as Caden Tellier, a 16-year-old high school quarterback from Alabama who suffered a brain injury during a game.
According to CBS News, at least seven teenagers playing football in the US died during the month of August. Not all of them had head trauma, like 16-year-old Leslie Noble in Baltimore who collapsed from apparent heatstroke.
“If you look at the leading causes of catastrophic problems in children, we talk about heat, we talk about hearts, we talk about heads,” Dr. Joseph Chorley, chief of sports medicine at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, told CBS News.
Craddock was heartbroken after losing his son and said it felt like a bad dream he wished he could wake up from. However, he thinks children can still enjoy football, but the most important thing is that it is done safely.
“I don’t think we should abolish football,” Craddock said in an interview with the BBC Associated press. “A lot of people love football, including myself. I just think we may need to take more safety measures to protect our children.”