STATE HOUSE — Pilgrim High Freshman Tre Roberson’s science project research on soft-shell helmet cover use earned an invitation from Rep. Joseph McNamara to testify in front of the House Education Committee March 10.
Helmet Cap Research: An Experiment With Impact
Roberson researched whether helmet covers reduced damage to the brain during impact. Known by the trade name Guardian Caps, helmet covers are large, soft-shell pads worn over football helmets with the objective of reducing the risk of concussions and other head injuries during play. According to research by the National Football League, the cap can absorb at least 10 percent of the force of a hit, and 20 percent when it’s a collision between two players.
Roberson’s experiment tested the impact stress of the helmets with and without the covers, using watermelons in place of players’ heads. Rep. Joseph M. McNamara, one of the science fair judges, witnessed the results, asking Roberson to testify in favor of his bill that would require the helmet covers for high school football players.
“From my results, it clearly shows that it definitely does, indeed, reduce impact damage,” Roberson told the Committee. He placed the watermelons in side two F7 helmets, using a helmet cap on one and then test-dropping them from increasing distances: 1 ft., 2ft., 3ft, 7ft and 10ft. The helmet cap reduced damage to a watermelon whenever damage was recorded. At 10ft, the watermelon in the helmet without the cap suffered an 8-inch crack. With the cap, the watermelon was only cracked four inches.
“So, by that data, it does prove that the guardian cap reduces damage,” Roberson said. He added that he has suffered a concussion in the past, and that he feels if he had a guardian cap on at the time, it would have protected him better. “For the rest of my career, I will definitely be wearing a guardian cap,” Roberson said.
“After looking at all this data and doing all this research for a couple of months now, I can say that Guardian Caps do reduce impact to the brain, and they should be a must for every football player to wear,” he told the committee. “The (New England) Patriots just signed a football player today named Romeo Doubs, who wears a Guardian Cap in every single game because he has had brain injuries before and he believes that Guardian Caps do help reduce it.” [VIEW ROBERSON’S TESTIMONY HERE]
The helmet cover bill (2026-H 7115) would mandate the use of a soft-shell helmet cover device that adds a padded, soft-shell layer to the outside of a traditional football helmet, for students participating in Rhode Island Interscholastic League football. The legislation would allow a student, their parent or guardian to opt out from wearing these devices for practices or games.
“Concussions remain the most serious concern in football at all levels,” said Representative McNamara (D-Dist. 19, Warwick, Cranston), who chairs the House Education Committee. “Collisions on the gridiron that result in head injuries are extremely dangerous, and have even been fatal at the high school level. The NFL has found evidence that Guardian Caps help reduce concussions and have begun to require players to wear them during regular season practices. Some have even started wearing them during regular season games. It is imperative that we protect our high school players.”
McNamara, who was a standout football player at Pilgrim High School and was named to the Providence Journal’s All-State team during his senior year in 1968, was presented with the Distinguished American Award by the Emo DiNitto/Rhode Island Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame in 2024.
Similar legislation (2026-S 2213) has been introduced by in the Senate by Sen. Matthew L. LaMountain (D-Dist. 31, Warwick, Cranston).
Author: Warwick Post Staff
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