Parrish Healthcare Donates Guardian Caps to Space Coast Vipers Football Team to Promote Player Safety

TITUSVILLE, FLA. (September 18, 2025)—Parrish Healthcare has generously donated 90 guardian caps to Space Coast Junior/Senior High School’s football team, the Space Coast Vipers, reinforcing their commitment to promoting health, wellness and safety in the North Brevard community.

Guardian caps are padded helmet covers designed to reduce impact during practices and games. Widely adopted across professional, college and high school programs, the equipment provides an added layer of protection to help reduce the risk of head injuries among athletes. According to the NFL, there is a 52% reduction in concussions, on average, during practices when guardian caps are mandated.

“At Parrish Healthcare, we believe in taking care of our community both on and off the field,” said Dr. Anthony Allotta, a sports medicine physician at Parrish Healthcare. “By providing guardian caps to the Space Coast Vipers football team, we’re helping ensure that student-athletes can focus on teamwork, discipline and fun—while staying safer as they play the sport they love.”

“We’re incredibly grateful to Parrish Healthcare,” said Jake Owens, head coach of the Space Coast Vipers football team. “Our top priority is keeping these young men safe, and the guardian caps give us one more layer of protection to help them play the game they love with confidence.”

“The extra protection from the NXT 2.0 caps is a game changer for the guys up front,” said offensive line coach of the Space Coast Vipers, Liam Henzmann. “They take contact on every play, and I can’t thank Parrish Healthcare enough for their commitment to keeping my guys safe.” Athletic trainer Frank Graziano adds, "This is about more than football; it's about protecting this community's student-athletes. Parrish Healthcare stepped up in a big way to support our kids, and we couldn't be more thankful."This partnership reflects Parrish Healthcare’s ongoing mission to invest in local youth, encourage active lifestyles and promote safe sports participation. For more information about Parrish Healthcare and its ongoing community initiatives, please visit parrishhealthcare.com/news.