Colts' Kylen Granson Explains Why He's Wearing a Guardian Cap This Season: 'I Want to Be Able to Remember'

"Anything I can do to mitigate any sort of brain injury or long term health effects that would be detrimental to me takes precedent," Granson said

• Colts' tight end Kylen Granson made headlines for choosing to wear a guardian cap during the NFL regular season

• In a detailed video, Granson explained his reasons for wearing it, including wanting to "remember" major events with his family later in life

• The discourse around safety in the NFL became prominent again after Tua Tagovailoa suffered yet another hit to his head in week 2

Colts' tight end Kylen Granson is encouraging football players to wear guardian caps for extra head protection on the field.

After the 25-year-old NFL player made headlines for deciding to wear the protective equipment during the regular season, Granson shared his thoughtful reasons why in a video shared on Instagram.

Granson said the guardian cap was "first introduced last year," and became a requirement for "most of the offensive line and the defensive line," to wear during practices.

"Other positions had the option to keep wearing it," said Granson, adding, "all it is is a little extra padding on the side of the helmet."

"The thought was, 'Hey, let's reduce the impact of the head-to-head contact in practice," Granson explained.

The tight end detailed what happens to players' brains when they take contact during games and practices, noting that even the smaller impact hits to his head can add up and create long term health issues.

Related: Damar Hamlin Sends 'Prayers' for Tua Tagovailoa After Dolphins QB Suffers Another Concussion: ‘Love You Broski’

Granson said that after studies found that the guardian caps reduced concussion rates by a "significant margin," he and a "few other players" on his team and around the league opted to wear them during pre-season games.

"It was successful enough that the league is now allowing us players the option to wear it during the regular season, and for me it was a no-brainer, I just said yes, I want to wear it the whole season."

"Why would I not add a safety measure onto my helmet?" Granson said in the video. "Anything I can do to mitigate any sort of brain injury or long term health effects that would be detrimental to me takes precedent," he added.

The Colts tight end continued, "As someone who wants to have kids some day, I want them to also know that dad isn't just telling you to be safe, he's also safe when he played. He did everything he could to protect his head, protect his brain," adding that safety is the most important thing, "no matter how dumb" a piece of equipment may look.

"Theres no amount of cool that would be worth walking into a hospital room and your child's in a vegetative state because they didn't want to wear a helmet," said Granson.

"I'm going to get married this coming year. I want to be able to remember our first dance 30 years from now. I want to be able to remember my first kids steps, I want to be there at their first day of school."

Related: NFL Says Ravens Linebacker Received 'Appropriate Care' After Claiming Chiefs' Medical Team Was 'Unprofessional'

Granson said while other players have complained, he's "never had a problem" with wearing the cap, and says it doesn't disrupt his vision on the field or add any extra noticeable weight.

"Health and safety is also cool," the football player told his followers in the video message.

The discourse around concussion protocol and safety in the NFL comes just after Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered another scary concussion during a game.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

On Thursday, Sept. 12, Tagovailoa, 26, lowered his head and ran into an opponent who tackled him. After the collision, the quarterback was then helped off the field.

In 2022, Tagovailoa missed multiple games due to concussions. He first absorbed a hit in September that left the Dolphins star unable to stand, though the team cleared him to return for the second half. Four days later, Tagovailoa endured a second hit to the head that left him unconscious and with a concussion, putting Tagovailoa at the center of debate over concussion protocols in the NFL.

The quarterback sat out two games following that hit, and then suffered another diagnosed concussion during a Dec. 25th game against the Green Bay Packers later that season.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.