Before it is approved, the NFL Players Association is addressing a proposed rule change. On Wednesday, rumors circulated that the league would hold a vote on a proposal to do away with hip-drop tackles. Should the proposal be approved, the penalty for a hip-drop tackle would be a 15-yard penalty and an automatic first down.
A player “grabs the runner with both hands or wraps the runner with both arms” in a hip-drop tackle, according to the proposed regulation, and then “unweights himself by swiveling and dropping his hips and/or lower body, landing on and trapping the runner’s legs at or below the knee.”
The technique has the potential to cause lower-leg injuries to the player being tackled, which has made it the focus of the competition committee this offseason. The NFLPA noted that while it “remains committed to improvements to our game with health and safety in mind,” the hip-drop tackle ban is a bridge too far. “We cannot support a rule change that causes confusion for us as players, for coaches, for officials and especially, for fans,” the NFLPA’s statement continued.
Worst of all, the idea will offer referees one more tool to control game outcomes, making it even more difficult for defenders to do their duties.
Hip-drop tackle penalties, which have spoiled numerous games over the years, are likely to become as contentious as roughing-the-passer penalties in the absence of a review procedure for these types of flags.
It’s a good idea to look for methods to make the game safer for players, but the NFL doesn’t seem to support this. Yes, it cares about the health of its players, but it may have other agendas.
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