The NFL has proposed a ban on the so-called “hip-drop tackle” that the league says increases the likelihood of injury during a play.
In their new rule proposals for the 2024 season, the NFL has suggested a 15-yard penalty if a player “grabs the runner with both hands or wraps the runner with both arms; and unweights himself by swiveling and dropping his hips and/or lower body, landing on and trapping the runner’s leg(s) at or below the knee.”
The NFL Players Association made it known in a statement Wednesday that they are opposed to the potential new rule.
“The players oppose any attempt by the NFL to implement a rule prohibiting a ‘swivel hip-drop’ tackle,” the NFLPA wrote on its Twitter/X page. “While the NFLPA remains committed to improvements to our game with health and safety in mind, we cannot support a rule change that causes confusion for us as players, for coaches, for officials, and especially, for fans. We call on the NFL, again, to reconsider implementing this rule.”
Former Denver Broncos defensive lineman Shelby Harris also spoke out about the proposed rule:
How are we even supposed to play football at this point? https://t.co/4UZZaoDQPw
— Shelby Harris (@ShelbyHarris93) March 20, 2024
NFL owners will vote on the league’s new rule proposals next week.
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