Riders’ Bertrand-Hudon, 1st pro player to wear Guardian Cap in a game

Thomas Bertrand-Hudon woke up before last week’s game and made a choice to prioritize safety.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders running back became the first pro player in the CFL to wear a Guardian Cap in a game. He wore it in the team’s 27-24 loss to the Montreal Alouettes last week. The protective helmet-covering has been determined to help reduce head injuries.

“I woke up the day of the game and I was on kickoff — I was at a position where guys got hurt before,” the second-year CFL running back said.
Bertand-Hudon suffered a concussion earlier in the season.

“They took me off (kickoff) for a little bit but it was my first game back at kickoff so I just wanted to be safe,” Betrand-Hudon said. “For a guy that comes back from concussion, I think it would be a pretty good idea to try and wear it for when they come back. Outside of that, it should still be a player’s preference.”

Players have been practising with the Guardian caps since 2023 with 2024 becoming the first season players were allowed to wear them in a game.

“We practice with them every day so they didn’t feel any heavier or anything like that. It felt the same as if it was at practice,” Bertrand-Hudon said. “There’s definitely less rebound from the first contact with the helmet. There’s less rebound and strong contact on the first hit.”

He said other players have reached him about wearing the cap in a game.

“They all asked me how it was and if it was a good idea to wear and hopefully they might wear it also,” Bertrand-Hudon said.

Betrand-Hudon isn’t sure if he will wear it when the Riders take on the Toronto Argonauts on Thursday. Kickoff for the game is set for 5:30 p.m.

“We will see, it’s definitely a possibility,” Bertrand-Hudon said. “I’m happy I’m the first one. Hopefully, I can encourage kids, especially when they start younger, to wear it.”

Bertrand-Hudon has been enjoying his second CFL season after learning from Jamal Morrow, Frankie Hickson and now AJ Ouellette in the running back room.

“Different but different in a good way. (Ouellette) pushes us to watch even more film, helps us study and he really makes the game easier to understand,” Betrand-Hudon said.

He’s also one of the team’s kick returners, returning three kicks for 74 yards this season.

“Whenever Mario is having a good game, they decide to go to me,” Betrand-Hudon said. “I can do the best I can force them to kick it back to Mario.”

The Riders are 5-4-1 and in first place in the CFL West Division despite going winless (0-3-1) in their last four games.

“We can play a lot better. We’ve had some bad luck here and there,” Bertrand-Hudon said. “We know we have the guys to do it. The confidence is very high and we’re all very happy to be here and go out and compete for the next one.”

Notes: Running back AJ Ouellette (hip), slotback Mitch Picton (ankle) and defensive back Amari Henderson (shoulder) have been ruled out for Thursday’s game against the Argos. Slotback Kian Schaffer-Baker (shoulder) is questionable.