CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The recent death of Madison Middle School football player Cohen Craddock could soon create change in safety precautions for athletes in West Virginia.
Craddock, 13, who was an eighth-grade student, died last week after he suffered a head in a practice less than two weeks ago. Craddock was said to have been wearing a helmet when he was partaking in drills before he collapsed.
Cohen Craddock
Kanawha County State Senator Mike Stuart is coming out and advocating for schools across the state to learn from Craddock’s passing and implement the use of Guardian Caps on helmets for practices. Guardian Caps are an extra level of protection put onto a game-approved helmet in an effort to further minimize head injuries.
Stuart says it’s now time for the Guardian Caps to be mandated in the state.
“I think we’ve gotten to the point where we ought to be mandating the use of these (Guardian Caps) to try to protect, especially the long-term chronic effect of head injury,” Stuart said on Metro News “Talkline” with Hoppy Kercheval.
Stuart plans on advocating for change by introducing legislation to require schools in West Virginia to use the caps in practice. The bill that Stuart plans to propose will be named after Craddock.
Sen. Mike Stuart
Stuart says that West Virginia would be getting ahead of the curve with a mandate.
“No state yet has mandated the use those (Guardian Caps) in youth sport,” Stuart said. “I’m going to introduce a bill this year to both fund it and require it in youth sports, at least for practice.”
The purchase of caps for all schools in the state would cost anywhere from $60 to $150 per helmet cap. Stuart says there are funds that can cover the cost of the caps that should be used in this scenario.
“I’ve offered immediate assistance to provide these. We have funds that are available to us for local economic development,” Stuart said. “I think there is nothing more important to economic development than youth sports and that we’ve used those funds in the past for that. I really think this is an emergency. Let’s take quick action.”
Stuart says the Guardian Caps are proven to be a reliable safety measure.
“It’s an extra 20% reduction in head trauma, I’d think we’d all celebrate that,” Stuart said. “This is not a partisan issue. I’d like to see us work together as quickly as we can to get those safety measures on the field all across West Virginia.”
In 2022, the NFL made it a league-wide requirement for players to wear Guardian Caps in pre-season practices, with the exception of kickers, punters, and quarterbacks. Ahead of the 2024 season, the NFL authorized Guardian Caps to be worn during regular-season games.
Guardian Caps have the padding and technology to reduce the impact of a collision by at least 10% when one player is wearing the cap and 20% when both players are, according to the NFL.