Browns LB Owusu-Koramoah among few NFL players wearing protective guardian cap over helmet in games

BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Profoundly proud of his heritage, Browns linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah wears colorful African clothing to the stadium on game day. His choice of garments earned him recognition from GQ as the NFL's most stylish player.

On Sunday, he made a more serious fashion statement, becoming the first Cleveland player to wear a padded guardian cap in a regular-season game.

“I'll wear it again,” he said Wednesday.

Owusu-Koramoah is one of a handful of players league wide choosing to use the protective cap, a foam covering that fits over their helmets and is meant to limit the risk of concussions, in the season's first two weeks.

The NFL mandated their use during training camp and practice, leaving it optional to players for games.

The league said six players wore the caps in Week 1, and seven in Week 2. Also, the league said the cap reduced concussions “approximately 50% over the past two preseasons.”

Owusu-Koramoah said he considered wearing one against Jacksonville in Week 2 before Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered a concussion during a nationally televised game. Tagovailoa's injury has prompted deeper discussions among players and fans about head injuries and safety.

A second-round draft pick in 2021 from Notre Dame, Owusu-Koramoah said the Browns haven't discussed Tagovailoa's situation as a team per se, but said the injury will likely prompt more players to wear the caps.

“I believe that it’s always kind of the case,” he said. “The more cases you see of certain things dealing with the head, the more the league may try to mandate it or maybe coaches may recommend it.

"We’ll see. It was good for me. I’m sure that we’ll have other guys continue to try it as the year goes on, and whether it looks cool or not, I think it looks better with our helmet than it does with the other helmets.”

Owusu-Koramoah didn't wear the cap in the Sept. 8 opener against Dallas. While he felt adequately protected, the 24-year-old said one jarring hit convinced him that he wanted even more security.

“I had one of those hits and I was like, ‘OK, this is nice,’” he said. "But I wanted to get in there and absolutely feel nothing. And I think that, to be honest, I had a good time.”

One of the deeper thinkers in Cleveland's locker room, Owusu-Koramoah is also a devoted vegan and is as comfortable discussing his spirituality or the best way to shed an offensive lineman's block on a blitz.

Owusu-Koramoah acknowledged there's a stigma attached to the cap, which could be viewed by some as less than manly. He's caught grief in the past from teammates questioning why he wears other protective gear like elbow or shin pads.

He'll take all the heat because he won't cut corners or take any unnecessary risks when it comes to his health and future. Owusu-Koramoah believes other players will follow as the cap becomes more accepted.

“Of course, the focus is the here and the now,” he said. “But then we as men, as people, as humans, we also have to plan for the future and things like that. So I think wearing the guardian cap, part of that was the decision, right? To make sure I could find ways to preserve myself at the highest capacity.”

NOTES: Browns DE Myles Garrett (foot) was not on the field during the portion of practice open to reporters. The reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year sat out a few plays in Sunday's win, but said afterward the injury won't keep him out. ... Coach Kevin Stefanski said TE David Njoku (ankle) is unlikely to play Sunday against the New York Giants. ... RT Dawand Jones (knee) also sat out after hurting the same knee he had surgery on in December against the Jaguars. Jones said he's sore but expects to play. Jones' injury further complicates Cleveland's issues at tackle with starters Jedrick Wills Jr. and Jack Conklin still working their way back from knee surgeries.

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Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) leaps over Cleveland Browns linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (6) on a run during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) is sacked by Cleveland Browns linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (6) and defensive end Myles Garrett (95) during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

FILE - Cleveland Browns linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (6) reacts at the snap during an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Gary McCullough, File)

MUNICH (AP) — Security has tightened at Oktoberfest in the wake of last month’s deadly knife attack in Solingen in western Germany, and officials warned revelers to expect longer lines at entry points as metal detectors will be deployed for the first time in the Bavarian beer festival's 189-year history.

Authorities say there are no specific threats to the world's largest folk festival, which begins Saturday with the traditional keg-tapping in Munich and runs through Oct. 6. Some 6 million participants, many wearing traditional lederhosen and dirndl dresses, are expected over the course of the event.

The stepped-up security comes after an Aug. 23 attack in Solingen that left three dead and eight wounded. A 26-year-old Syrian suspect was arrested. He was an asylum-seeker who was supposed to be deported to Bulgaria last year but reportedly disappeared for a time and avoided deportation. The Islamic State militant group has claimed responsibility for the violence, without providing evidence.

The violence left Germany shaken and pushed immigration back to the top of the country’s political agenda. In response, the Interior Ministry extended temporary border controls to all nine of its frontiers this week. The closures are set to last six months and are threatening to test European unity.

The effects of the Solingen attack and other recent violence across Germany will also be felt at Oktoberfest. Hand-held metal detectors will be used for the first time, with police and security staff using them on a random basis or following suspicious activity.

“We have had to react to the fact that attacks with knives have increased in recent weeks and months,” Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter told The Associated Press during a media tour of the festival grounds to highlight the new security measures. “We will do everything we can to ensure that nobody comes to Oktoberfest with a knife or other dangerous weapons.”

In addition to some 600 police officers and 2,000 security staff, more than 50 cameras will be spread across the grounds of the festival, which will be fenced off as well. Festival-goers also are prohibited from bringing knives, glass bottles and backpacks.

Oktoberfest is no stranger to increased security throughout its history. In 2016, authorities implemented tighter measures in response to a series of attacks, including when a German teenager fatally shot nine people at a Munich mall before killing himself.

Peter Neumann, a professor of security studies at King’s College London, said Oktoberfest officials are taking sensible approaches to security in light of Solingen, as well as other foiled plots across Europe recently. Extremists and groups like the Islamic State seek locations where an attack would garner international headlines and “cause a lot of terror,” he said.

French authorities say they thwarted three plots to hit the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris and other cities that hosted the summer events, which included plans to attack “ Israeli institutions or representatives of Israel in Paris.” And Austrian officials last month arrested a 19-year-old who had plotted to attack now-canceled Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna in a scheme to kill tens of thousands of fans that was allegedly inspired by the Islamic State group.

“These are all global events where you can expect to cause a lot of attention,” Neumann told The Associated Press.

Neumann said the Islamic State has been gaining momentum during the Israel-Hamas war.

The group even referenced the war when it claimed responsibility for the Solingen violence, saying the attacker targeted Christians and that as a “soldier of the Islamic State” he carried out the assaults “to avenge Muslims in Palestine and everywhere.”

Oktoberfest is a difficult event for police to secure completely, though authorities say there aren’t any concrete threats to the festival.

“It’s an iconic event and this is exactly the kind of event that they’d want to strike,” he said. “But with millions of people — drunk people to be honest — running around, it’s really difficult to control every movement.”

The festival's organizer, Clemens Baumgärtner, promised a safe public space, possibly "the safest place in Germany" during the 16 days of Oktoberfest.

Workers stand on a lifting platform during construction work on the Oktoberfest grounds at the main entrance, in Munich, Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (Peter Kneffel/dpa via AP)