Saskatchewan Roughriders running back Thomas Bertrand-Hudon made football history on Friday night.
The 27-year-old from Mont-Saint-Hilarie, Que., became the first professional football player to wear a guardian cap on his helmet during a regular-season game as the Roughriders took on the Montreal Alouettes.
Players have been allowed to wear the cap — a soft-shell cover worn on the outside of the helmet — in a game for two seasons now, but no one had done so until Bertrand-Hudon.
The CFL mandated the use of Guardian caps last year during training camp and all contact practices during the regular season. Their use was required by all offensive and defensive linemen, running backs and linebackers — and this season that was expanded to also include defensive backs and receivers.
According to the CFL, the introduction of Guardian caps and other measures led to a 42 per cent decrease in training camp concussions.
Meanwhile, the NFL has mandated the caps’ use at practices for some players since 2022. Quarterbacks, kickers and punters are the only remaining position groups not required to wear them during practice.
No NFL players are required to wear the caps during games, but they now have the option to do so, following a directive set forth by the league.
A few NFL players, including Indianapolis Colts star running back Jonathan Taylor, have donned the caps in this year’s pre-season.
We will now have to wait and see if any players follow the trend set by Bertrand-Hudon and do it when the games count for real.
— With files from the Canadian and Associated Press