Two high school football players in California leave field with concussions
MARTINEZ, Calif. (NBC, KYMA/KECY) - A high school football team in California is back on the practice field this week while two of their players are still recovering from concussions which took place during the same game Friday.
It was an emotional scene for players and parents who are taking action to hopefully prevent this from happening again.
While things may seem normal on the practice field Monday night, the Alhambra High Bulldogs have experienced a roller coaster of emotions over the past few days.
"Players were coming off the field in tears, very emotional, obviously hard to see one of their close friends go through something like that," said Stephen Parini, a parent to one of the players.
Parini described the scene Friday night after two players were taken off the field during the game with concussions, with one of the players being wheeled off on a stretcher.
"Me, personally, I hate to see it, and I love football. I've coached football my entire adult life, and it was just really, really difficult to process and see," Parini expressed.
It's a big reason why Parini is raising money to buy more protection for the team. He started a GoFundMe to get Guardian Caps for every player. The cost will be around $6,000.
"Our coach has wanted to get these caps for a little while. There's unfortunately...weren't in the school's budget for the season," Parini shared.
According to the Guardian Caps website, the caps saw shell cover attaches to football helmets, reducing the impact of hits during a game.
Nicholas Cecchi conducted a 2023 study on the Guardian caps during his post-doc at Stanford University, which showed some reduction in impact during simulations in the lab.
"There are certain impacts on the field that nothing, no head gear is going to be able to prevent but improved helmet technology, reducing the severity of all these types of impacts in our mind, is really a positive," Cecchi remarked.
In a statement on the concussions, the district superintendent says:
"Student health and safety is always our number one priority at this point, we have incomplete information. However, we follow all cif protocols for student safety, including those for any sports related injuries. We will be looking further into this matter and taking the appropriate actions necessary."
The players are both recovering, but it could be weeks before they hit the field. Parini hopes they'll have more protection when they do.
"If it can prevent one concussion, then this is more than worth it for us," Parini spoke.
So far, the GoFundMe has raised more than $4,600. If anyone wants to donate to the GoFundMe, click here.
