WELLINGTON, Fla. — We know football can be a grueling game, and from high school, to Pop-Warner, and all the way to the pros, the number one priority is keeping players safe.
HCA Florida Palms West Hospital donated thousands of dollars to Wellington Community High School to purchase Guardian Caps for the football teams' helmets.
The Guardian Caps provide extra protection against concussions and are becoming much more commonplace in the sport. The cushion that goes over the players' helmets during practice to keep them safer and give a little more piece of mind.
On Thursday, the Wellington Community High School football team was having a walk through practice the day before their first game. While they were not dressed out in pads, they were wearing their guardian caps on their helmets.
Jonathan Paul is a junior and plays quarterback for the Wolverines.
"Everybody on the team is wearing them. They are super soft. They absorb the blow when we actually take a hit," he said. "Just having that extra layer of protection every day at practice, just gives everybody on the team that sense of security and helps everybody go harder everyday."
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Head Coach Ross Pryor said it's all about reducing injuries.
"I want to make sure I protect my kids as much as I can, because these kids are like my kids," he said.
The team connected with HCA Florida Palms West Hospital, which donated the nearly $7,000 needed to outfit every player.
"The caps cover the helmet and it absorbs 33% of the physical impact to the brain, to the actual part of the anatomy that often times will result in chronic injury to the brain. If we can reduce that and give these athletes a healthier tomorrow, it was an easy investment," HCA Florida Palms West Hospital CEO Jason Kimbrell said. "To be able to see them fully deployed, it almost has this emotional response to you, because we are charged, above all else, for caring for and improving human life. Being the only pediatric hospital in the western part of the community, we feel like this is our community and caring for the children. This is an investment on behalf of HCA Florida Palms West Hospital and our medical executive committee. It's a great one, and one I really care a lot about, and I'm grateful for."
The soft shell helmet cover is gaining ground. It is now mandated for most NFL players during practice and allowed during NFL games for the first time.
Pryor said he notices a difference.
"I've had hardly any head injuries since we had them," he said. "One kid who got a bump, he went on concussion protocol but it wasn't really a big concussion, like you usually see."
So playing like the big leaguers, these high school football players know the community's rallying around their well being.
"Helping out a bunch of guys be safer, playing the game we love, I think is awesome," Paul said.
Right now the team is only wearing Guardian Caps during practice but coach said they could eventually wear them for games as well.
