‘No-brainer’: Colts’ Kylen Granson to wear Guardian cap in regular season

INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis Colts tight end Kylen Granson wore a Guardian Cap over his helmet during preseason and plans to continue doing so during the regular season to further protect his brain from long-term damage.

“At one point people thought seat belts were f—ing stupid,” Granson said The Athletics on Thursday. “Why wouldn’t I (wear) it? Just because it looks ridiculous? I put health and safety before aesthetics.”

After Granson’s comments went viral, the four-year pro further clarified his stance in an Instagram video on Friday. Granson and hundreds of other NFL players began wearing Guardian Caps, essentially soft shell pads that attach to their helmets, when the NFL mandated that certain position groups wear them during practice ahead of the 2022 season.

He’s pleased with the results so far and now that the league is allowing players to wear them during games, Granson believes it’s a “no-brainer” for him to further protect his brain.

“There’s no aesthetic value 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 lot of little hits.”

He compared a person’s brain to Jell-O, explaining that every time a football player gets hit and his brain shakes like Jell-O, it might not seem like much at the time, but it can have a terrible or even fatal effect later. Granson also noted that hundreds of these minor concussions can occur through OTAs and training camps in the offseason, a three-game preseason, a 17-game regular season, and even more games if a team reaches the playoffs.

The 26-year-old Granson suffered a concussion in Week 6 last year against the Jacksonville Jaguars and was out for the next two games.

Granson, however, said he would still wear a Guardian Cap even if he hadn’t suffered a concussion. The tragic stories of Pro Football Hall of Famer Junior Seau and former New England Patriots tight end and convicted murderer Aaron Hernandez, who both committed suicide and were later diagnosed with CTE, serve as sobering reminders for Granson.

“I want to live forever,” Granson said The Athleticspartly jokingly. “I don’t want someone digging me up while I’m gone and checking my brain.”

Granson went even further on Instagram, saying he wants to be able to remember the first dance at his upcoming wedding “30 years later” and his future child’s first steps. But beyond his own wishes, he believes it’s his responsibility to set an example for the millions of kids who look up to NFL players.

“I want to inspire kids to think that health and safety is cool too,” Granson said on Instagram. “You can do cool stuff on the soccer field and still wear a Guardian Cap. I want my (future) kids to wear helmets when they ride their bikes. … Because there’s no coolness worth walking into a hospital room and your kid being in a vegetative state because they weren’t wearing a helmet. Because they didn’t want to look stupid.”

According to the NFL, Guardian Caps have led to a 50 percent reduction in concussions since 2022 among players who have worn them during practice.

NFL vice president Jeff Miller told ESPN Earlier this year, in addition to Guardian Caps, “new helmets this year offer as much — or more — protection than any other helmet model combined with a Guardian Cap.”

Ultimately, it’s still the player’s choice, and it’s certainly a hot topic in NFL locker rooms. Some Colts players, who support Granson wearing a Guardian Cap, are adamantly opposed to wearing one themselves due to the aesthetic. Granson is one of at least two Indianapolis players who will wear the extra head protection no matter what, as safety Rodney Thomas II told The Athletics He plans to wear a Guardian Cap during the regular season as well.

Colts running back Jonathan Taylor is probably the most prominent NFL player to wear a Guardian cap during pre-season training, but he has yet to say whether he will wear one during the regular season.

Granson said via Instagram that he loves football with all his heart, but that he does not think it is worth risking his life or that of his family because he is afraid of being ridiculed or seen as soft.

“It’s bigger than me. It’s bigger 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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(Photo: Jeff Moreland/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)