NASCAR driver Joey Logano appeared to be closing in on victory at Sunday night’s Cook Out 400 in Richmond, Virginia, when Austin Dillon hit him in the fourth turn on the final lap and sent him crashing into the wall.

Dillon then clipped Denny Hamlin, causing another crash, and crossed the finish line first for his first win in nearly two years. In the process, he clinched a spot in the playoffs that begin next month.

Dillon told reporters that he was trying to get Logano ‘loose’ and that the collision with Hamlin was just a ‘reaction.’

His two opponents, however, didn’t take the actions too kindly.

‘He has no intentions to race,’ Logano told Fox Sports’ Bob Pockrass. ‘I beat him fair and square in the restart and he pulls a chicken (expletive) move. He’s a piece of crap. The kid, he sucks. He sucked his whole career and now he’s going to be in the playoffs and good for him, I guess.’

Hamlin also was unhappy that NASCAR didn’t penalize Dillon.

‘We have rules to prevent ridiculous acts, but it’s been a long time since those rules have been enforced,’ he told Pockrass, adding, ‘We’re never ever going to be taken seriously as a sport because we have no real officiating.’

NASCAR Senior VP of Competition Elton Sawyer told reporters that the actions in the last lap were ‘right up against a line’ and the circuit would look at the video and listen to audio.

‘We want to make the right decision,’ he said.

Any decision would be made on Tuesday.

PARIS — After two somewhat depressing Olympics conducted under strict COVID protocols in Tokyo and Beijing, the Games returned to form here in a big way. Crowds were immense. Television ratings skyrocketed. Safety and security were preserved. And Team USA dominated the medal table, tying China for an Olympic-high 40 golds, while adding the most silver (44) and bronze (42).

As we say goodbye to Paris 2024, here are the winners and losers of these Games:

Paris shines from beginning to end

They pulled it off. Though there were a couple minor hiccups along the way, as there are at any Olympics, it was mostly smooth sailing for Paris 2024 organizers. The city’s infrastructure held up. Security threats were handled both by invisible, multi-national intelligence cooperatives and a highly visible police presence on the streets. The stands were packed everywhere. Even the famously pessimistic French citizens flipped from having a negative opinion of the Games taking over their country to buying all the way in on national pride, according to public opinion polls. And they have a lot to be proud of: Paris absolutely shined from beginning to end, showing once again why it’s one of the most visited cities in the world.

NBC finally figures it out

Finally, they figured it out. Instead of narrowly presenting the Olympics as a primetime TV drama packaged for the suburban mom who isn’t a sports fan and making live content difficult to access, NBC got with the times. Of course the evening network windows had tape-delayed sports and schmaltz. But sports fans want to watch live sports as they happen. NBC made that available in various ways, and the “Gold Zone” feed took fans where the action was while making specific events relatively easy to find through streaming. We’ll see how the final ratings shake out, but the first couple weeks averaged more than 32 million viewers a day – a whopping 76 percent improvement from Tokyo.

The Golden Girls

You couldn’t ask for too much more from Simone Biles and crew. The Americans won the team final, Biles took gold in the women’s all-around and vault while adding silver in the floor exercise, while Suni Lee and Jade Carey added bronze medals in individual events. Jordan Chiles won bronze in the floor exercise but was told Sunday by the IOC she has to return the medal after Romania filed an appeal. Biles, 27, now has a mind-blowing 11 Olympic medals, seven of which are gold. She also won social media with a steady stream of cheeky content, including a Tweet making fun of former president Donald Trump’s comment about “black jobs.”

Noah Lyles golden in the 100

Despite ending the Games in some controversy around whether he should have run the 200 meters after being diagnosed with COVID, his primary job here was to win the 100. And he did it in memorable fashion, overcoming a slow start to win by five-thousands of a second with a lean into the finish line. Lyles is brash and sometimes thirsts for attention in an off-putting way, but he backed it up when it mattered.

The Alpha Generation of USA Basketball

LeBron James is 39. Steph Curry is 36. Kevin Durant is 35. They should have handed the Olympic torch to the next generation by now. But thank goodness they didn’t, because it’s hard to imagine Team USA winning gold without them. James, in particular, has been indispensable because this roster was not constructed with enough playmakers. Curry has struggled to find his groove at times, but got hot at the right time with 36 in the semifinals against Serbia. And Durant has been on a social media tear, in addition to providing clutch buckets. Given how much Team USA has relied on these guys, the future is a little scary. But in these Olympics, their championship experience was the difference.

Olympic tennis delivers at Roland Garros

Paris gave tennis its due in an opening ceremony that featured prime roles for Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal and Amelie Mauresmo, along with several national flag-bearers including Coco Gauff for Team USA. The ensuing tournament, played at Roland Garros, then delivered a boatload of memories from the Nadal-Carlos Alcaraz doubles pairing, the final match of Andy Murray’s career and Novak Djokovic winning the gold medal in men’s singles in an epic 7-6, 7-6 victory over Alcaraz. Djokovic has won everything else in tennis multiple times, and yet he called finally winning an elusive Olympic gold at age 37 his greatest accomplishment.

Leon Marchand = national hero

How do you say “national hero” in French? Marchand’s presence at these Games brought some of the biggest and rowdiest crowds to an Olympic swimming venue that anyone has ever seen. And while some French athletes didn’t handle that pressure particularly well, Marchand won gold in the 200 breaststroke, the 200 butterfly and both the 200 and 400 individual medley while setting Olympic records in all of them.

Athletes from war-torn countries

Israeli athletes won a best-ever seven medals, including Tom Reuveny’s gold in men’s iQFoil sailing, despite some antisemitic protests at events where Israelis competed. Ukraine won 11 medals including golds in fencing (women’s team saber), track (Yaroslava Mahuchikh in the women’s high jump) and boxing (Oleksandr Khyzhniak in men’s middleweight).

Cole Hocker’s big upset in 1,500

Hocker’s stunning win in the men’s 1,500 was the upset of track and field at the 2024 Games. Using a blistering final kick, Hocker ran down world champion Josh Kerr of Great Britain and Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the defending gold medalist, setting a new Olympic record.

Scottie Scheffler’s emotional win

Trailing by four shots entering the final round, the world’s No. 1 golfer finished with a 62 and then cried on the podium as the American national anthem played. For a guy who is pretty nonchalant about everything, winning an Olympic gold clearly meant more to him than he would have ever imagined. Golfers are all about majors — and Scheffler has two Masters titles — but this one is going to have a prominent spot in his trophy case.   

Mondo Duplantis, Louisiana native also the pride of Sweden

The Louisiana-born pole vaulter who competes for Sweden due to his mother’s nationality (and some unique commercial opportunities), is basically already the GOAT of his sport at age 24. Not only did he break his own world record by clearing 6.25 meters to win a second gold medal, he showed up on Swedish TV the next morning for an interview in his second language despite what seemed to be a massive hangover. What a champion.

USWNT’s masterful turnaround

After such a long run of dominance on the international stage, the sun finally set on the last generation of U.S. women’s soccer greats. Their bronze medal in Tokyo and earliest-ever exit in the World Cup last year (round of 16) signaled both that the world had caught up to the U.S. and that it was time for changes within the program. Enter Emma Hayes as the new coach, hired in May and given just a few months to turn this thing around. And somehow, they did it, going 7-0 at the Olympics and winning three consecutive 1-0 games in the knockout round to win a fifth gold medal for the USWNT. They’re back.

Viral memes

For a few days, 51-year old shooter Yusuf Dikec became one of the stars of the Olympics for competing in a standard-issue T-shirt and regular “dad glasses” while winning a silver medal. Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen became famous for TikToks about chocolate muffins. American pommel horse specialist Stephen Nedoroscik had sort of a Clark Kent/Superman thing going on with his rectangular glasses and breathing routine before competing. The breaking routine of Australia’s Raygun was a “choose your own adventure” joke that will live on the Internet in perpetuity. But none of them came close to French pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati failing to clear the bar because his “equipment” got in the way.

LOSERS

Anyone outraged by the women’s boxing “controversy”

Imane Khelif of Algeria became an international flashpoint in a tiresome culture war after her first opponent, Italian Angela Carini, surrendered after 46 seconds and taking one heavy punch to the face. The video sparked a controversy over Khelif’s gender, with the International Boxing Association claiming that Khelif and Taiwanese fighter Lin Yu-Ting had failed “sex tests” at their world championships a year ago. But the outrage was mostly based on misinformation. Neither boxer is transgender. Both were eligible to compete under the IOC’s rules. And the IBA’s credibility completely imploded when it failed to provide any evidence of its tests at a clownish news conference this week. The Russian-backed IBA, which had been cast out of the Olympics years ago, was trying to sow chaos at a Games where Russian athletes were banned. They succeeded in one respect, but they didn’t stop Khelif from winning gold.

Athlete comfort

There were a handful of days here, especially during the first week, when it was hot. It wasn’t the kind of heat and humidity we’re used to in most corners of America during the summer, and it certainly wasn’t even close to the hottest Olympics we’ve ever seen. But temperatures in the high 80s and 90s are not typical for Paris and not compatible with some of the eco-friendly initiatives Paris 2024 tried to implement. While some of the more prominent teams brought their own air conditioning units, others didn’t have the resources. Athletes preparing for the biggest competition of their lives should not have to sleep in rooms without A/C, and complaints about living conditions — including the infamous cardboard beds — were numerous and legitimate. Tennis players complained about not having cold water to drink during changeovers because there was no refrigeration near their chair like they have at most tournaments. Sustainability is important, but making some compromises for the athletes’ comfort would have been a smart move.   

Russia

Just 15 Russian athletes competed here under a neutral flag, seven of which were tennis players. Russians could compete as neutral athletes in some cases depending on the international federation for their sport, provided they had not shown any support for the Ukraine war, but many chose not to go through that vetting process out of principle. Were they missed? Nah.

Jamaican women’s track

It was a brutal Olympics for a group of sprinters that typically shows up big when it matters. Of course, we knew Elaine Thompson-Herah wouldn’t be at the Olympics to go for a three-peat in the 100m and 200m after sustaining an Achilles injury this summer. But Jamaica didn’t win a medal in the 100 for the first time since 1998, in the 200 for the first time since 1976 or the 4×100 relay for the first time since 2008. Shericka Jackson ended up not running in any of those three events, and 37-year old legend Shelly-Ann Fraser-Price ended up withdrawing from the Olympics after reports that she got held up trying to enter the venue and missed her warmup for the 100 semifinal.

Canadian men’s basketball

Canada produces more talent than any country in the world besides the U.S., but they have nothing to show for it in the Olympics since a silver medal in 1936. After qualifying tournament disasters that kept them out of the Olympics in 2016 and 2020, this year was supposed to be different. But despite a rotation made up exclusively of NBA players, Canada bowed out meekly with an 82-73 quarterfinal loss to France. At minimum, this team should have won a silver medal.

U.S. men’s swimming

Maybe it was a fluke, but winning just one gold medal in 14 men’s individual races is something that will stick in the craw of USA Swimming for the next four years. Had Bobby Finke not come through in the 1,500 freestyle, it would have been the first 0-fer for American men since 1900. Sure, there were some silver and bronze medals, but Caeleb Dressel being unable to reproduce the magic from Tokyo was a big disappointment.

French gymnastics federation

Kaylia Nemour was set to be a French star at these Olympics, but a conflict between her family and the federation over coaching and training sites caused a split. As a result, Nemour decided to represent Algeria, where she and her father have dual citizenship. She won the gold medal in uneven bars, earning the first Olympic medal for an African gymnast. Meanwhile, the French women were completely shut out of the podium in gymnastics.

U.S. women’s water polo

The most dominant team in the world is leaving Paris without a medal. The Americans had won three consecutive golds coming into the 2024 Games but were knocked out by Australia in the semifinals before falling to the Netherlands in the bronze medal game. Flavor Flav does not approve. 

U.S. 3×3 basketball

The current approach just isn’t working. After failing to qualify for the Olympics in Tokyo, the men’s team went 2-5 with several embarrassing performances. The women’s team, which won gold three years ago, settled for bronze this time. Though the nature of 3×3 makes it more high-variance than 5×5 basketball, the men’s team wasn’t constructed well, relying on 35-year old Jimmer Fredette (who got injured) and some fringe pros that few fans ever heard of. USA Basketball needs to figure out a way to get more high-level players interested and qualified through various international tournaments if they want us to take this effort seriously.

Breaking

PARIS — It was an amazing experience to cover my first Olympic Games. As someone who for years has meticulously planned schedules to maximize my Olympic streaming at home, getting to be here in person was a joy and perhaps the highlight of my career.

Two memories stand out:

Prior to covering the women’s synchronized platform diving competition, I was asked by a Chinese television station for an interview. They wanted my thoughts, as an American, about China’s diving tandem of Quan Hongchan, 17, and Chen Yuxi, 18. The request was as natural as if I’d asked them about Simone Biles or LeBron James. But I politely declined, explaining how I didn’t know much beyond names and reputations.

Once the competition began, though, I understood: These two are a very big deal. Their performing in tandem from a 10-meter platform was the most beautiful and impressive thing I witnessed in these Olympics. The synchronization was flawless and stunning. Of course, they won gold in a rout, and afterward, Chinese media swarmed the two teenagers, who sheepishly answered questions best they could between embarrassed smiles. It was a lesson to me about how sports can be both universal and surprisingly disparate. That on this big planet we’ve got, something so significant in one massive country can go mostly unnoticed in another.

2024 Olympic medals: Who is leading the medal count? Follow along as we track the medals for every sport.

I’ll admit, too, feeling a twinge of Olympic envy at the national pride displayed by other countries at venues (and the boisterous French fans in particular). Just because it feels like we’re such a mess back home, with too many influential politicians and polemics spreading anger and division for their own self-interest.

I wish all Americans had been with me by the 18th green at Le Golf National, watching Scottie Scheffler, a PGA Tour star who has won millions, sob on the podium after winning a tournament worth only a tiny fraction of that amount in dollars. I can tell you that there is nothing like hearing the ‘Star-Spangled Banner’ while in another country. Nothing. And when Scottie cried, my eyes watered up a bit, too. — Gentry Estes

A trip to Normandy with USA Wrestling and a request for a cigarette

PARIS — My first Olympics are in the books and the best way to describe them is as an exhaustively invigorating experience.

I saw 16 different Olympic disciplines in my 19 full days on the ground, logged more miles on trains than I ever have in my life and came away grateful for the professional challenge. After more than a decade covering the Detroit Lions for the Detroit Free Press, it was an interesting change of pace to spend three weeks reporting on new sports and new people.

Touring the Olympic Village was fascinating, watching world-class athletes win and lose and handle the highs and lows of competition was enlightening, and visiting Normandy with U.S. wrestler Mason Parris, whose great-grandfather stormed the beaches there 80 years ago, was an experience I won’t soon forget.

But what I’ll remember most about these Olympics are the people.

The Spanish soccer fans singing joyously on the train on their way to a game. The Australian kayak contingent dancing proudly on the banks of Vaires-sur-Marne Lake after their flag bearer, Jessica Fox, capped her career with gold. Even the Greek reporter (I think he was a reporter, at least) who burst into the media center looking to bum a cigarette for the country’s wrestling coach.

The long nights and early mornings weren’t always pleasant, and getting a text from my 9-year-old asking when I was coming home so we could play catch almost broke me. But the Olympics were a reminder of the joys, big and small, we all need in life no matter who we root for or where we’re from. — Dave Birkett

15 minutes of joy watching Katie Ledecky in 1,500

PARIS — I’ve watched the fastest swimmers in the world compete for most of my life, but never in person until the Paris Olympics. 

Professionally, covering the Olympics, and specifically Olympic swimming, wasn’t just a goal; it was the goal. And it wasn’t until the first night of swimming – watching Katie Ledecky, Ariarne Titmus and Summer McIntosh face off in the women’s 400 freestyle – that it hit me. I was finally there, watching it with my own eyes and able to ask my own questions. 

And it was exhilarating, better than I imagined, in large part thanks to the raucous fans creating the wildest atmosphere I’ve ever seen at a swim meet. Léon Marchand, Sarah Sjöström, Torri Huske and so many more stars made it the most incredible nine-day stretch of my professional life. 

Among the many moments I’ll never forget was Ledecky dominating the 1,500 free like she does. But it was about more than watching her crush it. 

When I was a kid, I remember being so perplexed that women couldn’t swim the 1,500 — only men — in the Olympics. The longest distance for women in the pool was the 800. I swam my first mile when I was 10; why couldn’t the fastest women in the world do it at the Games? Finally in 2021 in Tokyo, it was added to the lineup. 

Ledecky is the one and only women’s 1,500 Olympic champion, and that won’t be the case forever. But seeing her race in an event women were once thought to be too fragile for — following a correction of an antiquated mentality — was incredible.

I got chills many times throughout Olympic swimming, but I think they were with me for all 15 1/2 minutes of the women’s 1,500. And my kid self was overjoyed seeing it in person. — Michelle Martinelli

A gold medal for a dedicated volunteer at cycling

Give Kalani Kayser a gold medal.

There were some 45,000 Paris Olympics volunteers, after all, more than four times the number of athletes. Surely the best of the best deserve a medal ceremony, and this judge is scoring Kayser’s performance as a perfect 10.

When the Games began, the first venue I was assigned to was the Grand Palais, which served as the media center for road cycling events. It’s a massive, 56-floor Parisian landmark of 775,000 square feet, and it had to be navigated in one direction to reach the mixed zone, where reporters speak to athletes post-event, and an entirely different direction (and floor) to reach the press conference.

One wrong turn, and you’re lost. So imagine the stress when I arrived to cover road cycling only to realize that A) My laptop Wi-Fi was failing, and B) poor signage and the sheer size of the Grand Palais gave me zero chance of finding the mixed zone and press conference on my own. Keep in mind, this trip was not only my first Olympics, but my first trip to Europe as well, and I arrived understanding about six words in French.

Kayser to the rescue.

With a warm smile and perfect English, the Colorado native not only helped me through the Wi-Fi snag, but also walked me − not pointing or spouting directions, but actually taking me − to the key locations I needed to be familiar with. All told, he probably spent an hour with me, and there were maybe eight volunteers trying to serve well over 100 media.

He was so helpful, I took note of his name. Told him I wouldn’t forget him if I received an exit survey on volunteer help. I haven’t gotten a survey.

But I’ve got this. Thanks, Kalani. — Chase Goodbread

The smallest Olympic fans in Paris and the athletes I’ll remember

PARIS — I get asked frequently what the best part of my job is. My answer remains the same, no matter the assignment or the venue: It’s the people. 

Whether we’re talking about athletes, coaches, colleagues or fans, it’s always the people — and often, their kindness — who leave the biggest impression. That’s definitely been the case for me in covering my first Olympics. 

It started before Paris, when I was chatting with Jordan Larson, one of the best volleyball players in the history of the U.S. She asked if Paris would be my first Olympics. When I said yes, she responded with enthusiasm, telling me she couldn’t wait to hear what I thought, gushing about how much fun I would have because there’s nothing quite like watching people from all over the globe come together to celebrate sport. 

I’ve found her to be more than accurate. 

I’ll remember people like Ashleigh Johnson, the best water polo goalie in the world, talking about her sport’s weird, wonderful new relationship with rapper Flavor Flav and her passionate insistence that he would help bring new eyeballs to water polo.

From track, I’ll remember Gabby Thomas’ joy at the finish line and Sam Kendricks’ smirk. 

I’ll remember the fans, too, particularly the home crowd’s volume. I think I’m going home to Portland, Oregon, having permanently lost my hearing thanks to hundreds of thousands of French residents. Will it be like that in Los Angeles in 2028 with Americans screaming themselves hoarse? I hope so. 

My biggest takeaway from the Games – other than the fact that you will climb more stairs than you ever have in your life – is that there’s no party like a Brazilian crowd party.

I’ll remember the littlest Olympic fans too, from the toddlers hanging around USA Basketball to the young kids able to spend time with their parents in the first-ever nursery in the Athlete Village (provided, fittingly, by super mom and super Olympian Allyson Felix). 

Mostly I’ll remember the 4-year-old boy on one of the many trains I took, visiting from Spain and going to every Olympic event his parents could get tickets to. “I’m going to weightlifting!” He told me, doing his best Hulk flex. 

Will he be an Olympian some day? I hope I get to cover more Games and find out. — Lindsay Schnell

Getting comfortable on the red carpet and interviewing US stars

I tucked my hair behind my ears, took a deep breath and stepped onto the red carpet. Well, technically it wasn’t an actual carpet but instead a chic track that twisted around the egg-shaped Louis Vuitton Foundation. I was waiting with my colleague Sandy Hooper for some of the biggest celebrities and athletes in the world to arrive, and she could sense my nerves.

‘Relax,’ she said. ‘They’re just people.’ 

This is a mantra I frequently repeated to myself throughout my first Olympics as Paris reminded the world what a Games is supposed to be – a glamorous intersection between celebrities, the best athletes in the world and normal people like you or me. 

Throughout my experience reporting on the ground in Paris I’ve been floored by the way that the city made these Games a spectacle that all attendees could experience, not just the VIPs. From purple and pink arenas, to the utilization of famous architecture like the Grand Palais, to hosting the opening ceremony on the Seine, there’s a special energy and awe felt by all spectators.

By the end of the Games, I was interviewing gold medalists with ease, making jokes about the weight of their medals and chatting with their parents. I talked to Simone Biles about the boot on her foot and got told I was nosey. I asked Stephen Nedoroscik about what it’s like to become an internet sensation. And when I asked Tara Davis-Woodhall what kind of summer she was having, she smiled and responded with ‘a golden one.’ 

And I think that sums it up better than I ever could. This summer was golden for the USA, for athletes, for celebrities, for fans, and for our mighty team of journalists here in Paris. — Sydney Bergan

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The Olympics closing ceremonies have always served as a nice sendoff for one of the world’s biggest sporting events. However, this year’s formalities had something extra special on display as well: Tom Cruise.

Earlier this week, it was reported that the legendary actor and stuntman would be performing an ‘epic stunt’ as part of the closing ceremonies.

According to reports, Cruise would rappel into Paris’ Stade de France, during the closing ceremonies. That would be followed by a pre-recorded video of Cruise skydiving onto the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles. That report is accurate now in hindsight.

Cruise, 62, is known for taking stunts to the next level, and given that Los Angeles will be hosting the 2028 Olympics, it was assumed that someone representing the city would be in attendance to take the Olympic flag, as is tradition. Here’s how the stunt went down live.

2024 Olympic medals: Who is leading the medal count? Follow along as we track the medals for every sport.

Cruise’s stunt

The 62-year-old rappelled down from the top of the Stade de France, greeting Olympians after landing safely.

We then witnessed a surprise appearance from Simone Biles at the closing ceremony, playing a part in the passing of the Olympic flag from Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.

The two gave the Olympic flag to Cruise who rode a motorcycle in a pre-filmed sequence that ended with the actor soaring above Los Angeles in a skydiving stunt.

Internet reacts to Cruise’s stunt

Has Cruise done anything like this before?

Yes, actually.

In 2004, Cruise participated in the Olympics’ opening ceremonies, helping carry the Olympic torch through Los Angeles as it made its way around the world before resting in Athens, Greece, where the games were taking place that year.

Thomas Schad contributed to this report

Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran issued an apology through the team Sunday night after using a homophobic slur directed toward a fan in the sixth inning of the team’s 10-2 loss at Fenway Park.

With Boston trailing the Houston Astros 10-0, a field mic picked up the entire exchange, heard on the NESN broadcast of the game. The fan chided Duran and the All-Star outfielder could be heard yelling the profane, two-word epithet in response.

Duran could face discipline from either the team or Major League Baseball. In 2017, then-Oakland Athletics outfielder Matt Joyce was suspended by MLB for two games after directing a similar epithet toward a fan. That same year, the Toronto Blue Jays suspended outfielder Kevin Pillar for two games without pay after directing a homophobic slur toward an opposing pitcher. MLB also suspended New York Yankees infielder Josh Donaldson for one game in 2022 after calling White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson ‘Jackie.’

“During (today’s) game, I used a truly horrific word when responding to a fan,’ Duran said in a statement released to Boston media by the club. ‘I feel awful knowing how many people I offended and disappointed. I apologize to the entire Red Sox organization, but more importantly to the entire LGBTQ community. Our young fans are supposed to be able to look up to me as a role model, but tonight I fell far short of that responsibility. I will use this opportunity to educate myself and my teammates and to grow as a person.”

Duran, 27, earned All-Star Game MVP honors last month with a go-ahead two-run home run in the American League’s victory. He’s batting .291 with an .853 OPS and 14 homers, and entered Sunday ranked fifth among AL position players with 5.5 Wins Above Replacement.

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At least five players for the Indianapolis Colts wore “Guardian Caps” during Sunday’s preseason opener vs. the Denver Broncos.

The blue, eggcrate padding is attached to helmets and mandatory for players during training camp in an effort to cut down on concussions. This year players can choose to wear the protective headwear in games for the first time.

In Sunday’s 34-30 loss to the Broncos, running backs Jonathan Taylor and Zavier Scott, tight end Kylen Granson, safety Rodney Thomas II and linebacker Grant Stuard used them. The blue padding is covered with a white outer layer that included the Colts horseshoe logo and blue stripe, making it more difficult to determine who was using the protection.

“Our (medical and equipment) guys here do a great job of keeping us informed,” said Scott. “They’ve done the testing, and I don’t know the numbers, but they say it (offers) a significant reduction in concussions.”

Taylor said he was trying out the Guardian Cap to see how it felt in a game and didn’t commit to continue using it.

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According to NFL research, the cap can absorb at least 10% of the force of a hit.

It was difficult to tell which players were wearing the Guardian Caps at first glance; the straps from the coverings can be seen and the helmet looks bigger on a closer look, however.

What are Guardian Caps

Guardian Caps are pads attached to helmets in an effort to reduce the risk of suffering a concussion while playing football.

According to NFL research, the cap can absorb at least 10% of the force of a hit.

NFL players are required to wear them during training camp practices and, for the first time, can chose to wear them during games.

Guardian Caps in games

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ James Daniels is believed to be the first NFL player to wear a Guardian Cap in a game on Friday night. No one had used on in the first three preseason games.