After several concussions in one game, East Bay HS parents raising money for 'guardian caps'

"At Alhambra High School in Martinez, the football season is off to a less than ideal start. "Unfortunately, last Friday we had a game and two kids sustained concussions during the game. One pretty serious that had to be taken off in a stretcher," said Stephen Parini. Parini's son plays on the team. He says following the injuries, he and other parents decided to try to purchase "guardian caps" for all the players."

"Guardian caps are a soft shell padding that goes outside of football helmets and are meant to reduce the risk of concussions. Parini says while the school supports the move, buying the caps has been out of their budget. "We can move much faster as parents and as a community than schools normally can. So we're able to just get the ball rolling," he said."

"The move is supported by people like Dr. Nirav Pandya, the director of sports medicine at UCSF Benioff's Children Hospital. "People think about repetitive concussions, but sometimes even one concussion can set that pathway off to having issues with school performance, learning concentration, that can potentially last for a long period of time," said Dr. Nirav Pandya. The doctor says while he doesn't think the guardian caps will hurt, he also believes more research needs to be done into their effectiveness."

At Alhambra High School in Martinez, two football players sustained concussions during a recent game, one requiring removal by stretcher. Parents, including Stephen Parini whose son plays on the team, decided to purchase guardian caps—soft shell padding that fits over helmets intended to reduce concussion risk. The school supports the effort but lacks budget, so parents launched a GoFundMe seeking about $6,000 to buy caps and additional safety equipment with any surplus. Dr. Nirav Pandya, director of sports medicine at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, warned that even a single concussion can impair school performance and concentration and said more research is needed on guardian caps' effectiveness.

Read at ABC7 San Francisco