Grain Valley parent Bethany Coplen raising money for football players to buy Guardian Caps

GRAIN VALLEY, Mo. — After Cohen Craddock died after an injury in his middle school football practice, Bethany Coplen decided to act.

“He is just like my son, 13 years old, 8th grade, practicing. And my heart really broke for his family,” she said.

Craddock’s father, Ryan, believes that the outcome of his son’s injury may have been different if he was wearing the Guardian Cap, a soft outer shell that attaches to a normal football helmet.

“I thought, why not further their mission here in Grain Valley for our student athletes,” Coplen said.

Coplen and other parents we spoke with, said that the threat of a head injury is always a worry. “I try not to worry about it too much, but it is always a concern,” Coplen said.  “So anything we can do to keep them as safe as possible is what we want to do.”

Manny Gonzalez agrees. “If it helps keep them safe, I don’t care how goofy it looks,” Gonzalez said.

Guardian Caps have become a regular sight at football practices. In Grain Valley, the high school team wears them at their practices. In 2022, the NFL mandated that certain positions wear them during practice. And now, the NFL is allowing players to wear the devices during regular season games.

The Grain Valley School School District released this statement regarding the Guardian Caps:

“The safety and well-being of our students are always our top priority. All football helmets are reconditioned and recertified annually, and we meet all safety standards established by NOCSAE and the NFHS. Grain Valley Schools is proud to be one of the first districts in the KC metro to offer guardian caps at the high school level, and we are evaluating expanding this to our middle school team. We extend our heartfelt thanks to our partners – parents, Booster Club members, and the entire community – who continue to work alongside us to ensure that our students and student-athletes have access to the best possible resources.”

Despite their appearance, which may not be appealing to athletes, Coplen says that the more popular they become, the more you’ll see people wearing them.

“I think if you can see the people you look up to and your sports idols wearing them, than I do think that that would be helpful,” she noted.

As of Wednesday evening, the fundraiser had surpassed $2,300, putting them closer to their goal of $3,700. But they have bigger plans than just buying caps for the middle school team.

Gonalez posted the fundraiser on social media, when a connection from Craddock’s area in West Virginia reached out.

“He was moved, the fact that we were doing something here, action was being taken here,” said Gonzalez. “So, our heart is, is let’s pay this forward. Not just take the blessing for ourselves but also push it forward and bless that community as well that’s going through a pretty tragic situation.”

Any additional funds will be sent to West Virginia to help purchase Guardian Caps for Craddock’s team.

Gonzalez says that the caps will bring safety to a game where his son is learning lessons, he’ll take with him forever.

“We don’t want to take away the passion. We love the passion. We love what the game brings,” Gonzalez said. “And how it’s able to bring young men together and help them strategize on how to win. But at the same time, let’s be as safe as we possibly can so these kinds of accidents can be eliminated from the future.”

You can donate to the GoFundMe for Guardian Caps, here.

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