MANY FOOTBALL COACHES ACROSS THE COUNTRY AT EVERY LEVEL ARE TRYING TO MAKE ACTION ON THE FIELD SAFER. NBC5'S NOAH CIERZAN EXPLAINS HOW TEAMS ARE TRYING TO TACKLE THE CURRENT CONCUSSION CROSSROADS PLAYER SAFETY IN FOOTBALL CONTINUES TO BE ONE OF THE BIGGEST TOPICS IN THE SPORT. SINCE SETTLING A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT, TWO PLAYERS WITH TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURIES. THE NFL HAS PAID OUT MORE THAN $1.3 BILLION. THE LEAGUE'S FOCUS HAS ALSO SHIFTED TO FIGURING OUT HOW TO MAKE THE SPORT SAFER. THAT INCLUDES ONE PIECE OF EQUIPMENT THAT'S GAINING STEAM LOCALLY AS A POTENTIAL SOLUTION. WHEN YOU LOOK AROUND, YOU PLANTED A LOT OF PEOPLE LIKE HIM, BUT YOU TRULY CAN'T TELL UNTIL THEY UNTIL THEY START TO FALL OFF. PLAYERS AT SAINT JOHNSBURY ACADEMY WEAR THEM DURING PRACTICE. THEY'RE CALLELED GUARDIAN CAPS. A HELMET COVERING DESIGNED TO REDUCE SOME METRICS RELATED TO PLAYER SAFETY BY UP TO 25%. FOR MIDDLEBURY HIGH SCHOOL, IT'S A NEW ADDITION THIS SEASON THAT WAS SOME GENEROSITY FROM OUR BOOSTERS AND A DONOR. IT'S NOT SOMETHING WE MANDATED. IT'S IT'S DEFINITELY ONCE WE GOT ENOUGH FOR THE WHOLE PROGRAM, IT IT MADE IT PRETTY EASY TO MAKE THE DECISION. THEY'RE JUST GOING TO BE ON THE HELMETS AT ALL TIMES. WE PUT THEM ON THIS MORNING AND GOT THEM ON THIS MORNING FOR THE FIRST TIME WITH WITH FULL GEAR, AND IT WAS THERE WAS AN EXCITEMENT TO IT, WHICH WAS WHICH WAS GREAT. THE VERMONONT PRINCIPALS ASSOCIATION TELLS NBC FIVE STUDENT ATHLETES COULD WEAR THE PROTECTIVE COVERING IN GAMES IF THEY WANTED. RIGHT NOW, THERE IS NO FUNDING STREAM TO MITIGATE THE COSTS FOR TEAMS, AND WITH A $70 PRICE POINT, SCHOOLS LIKE RUTLAND HAVEN'T ADOPTED THE EQUIPMENT. YOU KNOW, SOME PEOPLE ARE IN FAVOR OF IT. SOME PEOPLE ARE NOT. YOU KNOW, I'M KIND O IN THE MIDDLE, YOU KNOW, I HAVE NO DOG IN THE FIGHT. IF SOMEBODY WANTS TO STEP UP AND GIVE A 70 GUARDIAN CAPS, WE PROBABLY WEAR THEM. BUT YOU KNOW, THAT HASN'T HAPPENED. NOT ALL RESEARCH STUDIES AGREE ON GUARDIAN CAPS EFFECTIVENESS EITHER. A 2023 STUDY BY STANFORD UNIVERSITY DID NOT FIND SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS IN ANY MEASURE OF IMPACT SEVERITY IN AN ON FIELD INVESTIGATION. THAT SAME STUDY DID OBSERVE A SMALL REDUCTION IN A METRIC THAT CONTRIBUTES TO CONCUSSIONS. THAT'S WHY THE NFL CURRENTLY MANDATES GUARDIAN CAPS MUST BE WORN DURING ALL CONTACT PRACTICES FOR THE