Protective pads wearable by a user for use in a contact sport include a release mechanism that allows the protective pads to be safely and easily detached from each other while the individual wearing the protective pads is maintained in the supine position, thus decreasing the risk of a secondary injury to the individual wearing the protective pads as the protective pads are removed. The release mechanism includes an elongated coupler having an anterior segment that is operable to detach posterior portions of the protective pads from one another.