Cleveland linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah had a scare during the team’s season-opening loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
The Browns fourth-year linebacker finished the game with nine tackles, but one hit, in particular, stood out to him.
Owusu-Koramoah admitted to analyst Chris Easterling that the hit was enough to make him reconsider his stance and become a Browns pioneer of sorts.
On Sunday against Jacksonville, the linebacker became the first Cleveland athlete to wear a Guardian Cap during an NFL contest thanks to his scare the previous weekend.
“Then I kind of felt it a little bit, so I’m like, ‘man, lemme try this Guardian Cap,'” Owusu-Koramoah said, adding the experience “was good though.”
The NFL opened its stance on players wearing the Guardian Cap during NFL contests as a means to prevent further head injuries.
Game-day helmet covers have fabric that matches the team’s helmet pattern precisely, a step up from the gray Guardian Caps the Browns wore during preseason practices.
Recent research has shown that individuals who wear the helmet covering are less susceptible to head injuries, reducing the number of concussions by more than 50 percent.
Nationally, the conversation has turned to wearing Guardian Caps after Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered his third concussion of his NFL career in a scary scene during last Thursday’s football contest.
Owusu-Koramoah denied that Tagovailoa’s hit was the reason he chose to try the helmet out during a contest.
“I mean, I actually like wearing it in practice,” Owusu-Koramoah said, noting “So I was just like, I’m going check it out, see what it is.”
NEXT: Denzel Ward's Status Revealed After Jaguars' Game
