The NFL’s annual league meeting will be next week and owners will consider some rules and bylaw change proposals. One rule that is being proposed by the league is a ban on what are called “hip-drop tackles.”
Per the proposal, the type of tackle that could be banned is described in this manner.
If the defender “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 penalty for such a tackle would be 15 yards and an automatic first down.
The league is looking for ways to protect players from injury.
In a move that might surprise many, the NFLPA opposes this proposal and made public its opposition in this statement on social media.
Our statement on the swivel hip-drop tackle. pic.twitter.com/8mzhjtPgKu
— NFLPA (@NFLPA) March 20, 2024
“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 will see if the league ends up approving this rule against the players’ wishes.
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