In an effort to crack down on dangerous blows to the head, the National Football League has approved a new rule whereby any player who commits ‘an egregious’ hit above the neck area would be automatically thrown out of the game.
The owners of the NFL’s 32 teams voted on Tuesday to approve the rule change requiring automatic ejections for particularly flagrant hits to the head, according to NFL Network.
The owners approved the rule change, which was a recommendation made by the league’s competition committee – a panel comprised of coaches and team executives.
The rule change is significant since it would also impose severe penalties for first-time offenders, according to USA Today.
One member of the competition committee, New York Giants President John Mara, said that the rule was created with particularly violent hits in mind.
‘I think the intent there is to just try to change behavior and put that in the front of players’ minds,’ Mara said.
‘It’s all about player health and safety at the end of the day. That’s the focus.’
Last week, NFL Executive Vice President for Football Operations Troy Vincent said on Twitter the league was studying the move as part of an effort to eradicate head shots.
‘The Committee is also exploring ways – including considering immediate ejections or suspensions – to take dangerous hits out of our game,’ Vincent wrote on Twitter.
‘We’ll communicate this to our coaches and players with video examples of flagrant hits that may result in ejection or suspension.’
NFL referees already have the right of dismissing players guilty of illegal hits, but it is an option that is rarely exercised.
The NFL can also retrospectively fine players or issue suspensions, but lengthy bans are rare.
The move comes after NFL officials were criticized last season for several incidents, most notably involving Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton.
Newton was repeatedly struck with helmet-to-helmet hits during the Panthers’ game against the Denver Broncos, but no players were ejected.
In January, Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Chris Conley was flattened by a sickening helmet-to-helmet hit by Steelers safety Sean Davis.
Davis was hit with a penalty and a subsequent fine but was not ejected from the game.
The NFL has faced growing scrutiny in recent years linked to the issue of concussions and head trauma, with the league in 2015 agreeing a $1billion settlement to resolve thousands of lawsuits by former players suffering from neurological problems.
The mounting evidence that football players can develop neurological problems due to concussions and repeated head trauma has prompted questions about whether those brain injuries might lead former players to kill themselves more often.
Several high-profile players, including Pro Football Hall of Fame member Junior Seau, committed suicide after developing chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease found in numerous former players that is linked to memory loss and erratic behavior.
The league’s policies and procedures were criticized in years past when players were sent out onto the field even after it appeared they had suffered head injuries.
This is not the first time that the NFL has been accused of being too cavalier with players’ health in pursuit of profit.
Last month, thousands of former players signed onto a lawsuit alleging that the NFL violated federal laws governing prescription drugs, according to The Washington Post.
The newspaper said that court documents filed by players alleged that the league and its medical staff plied them with painkillers in violation of federal safety guidelines.
The NFL has dismissed the lawsuit as meritless.
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