Every offseason, new rules are proposed and voted upon, with some even making it into the league the following year. This year, while there have been plenty of proposals for rule changes, perhaps none have received more attention than penalizing hip-drop tackles.
On Thursday, the NFL responded to the outrage from the players.
NFL Executive Troy Vincent Responds to Proposed Hip-Drop Tackle Penalty Backlash
An emerging topic of debate from the 2023 NFL season was the use of hip-drop tackles. For context, it’s when a player would wrap up and then drop their hip and full weight, landing on the player being tackled.
The form of tackling has become controversial due to the increased risk of injury to the offensive player, with one notable example from last season being Baltimore Ravens TE Mark Andrews.
As a result, the rules committee made a formal proposal to ban the hip-drop tackle, enforcing it with a 15-yard penalty. However, the proposal has since come under fire by the players.
“The players oppose any attempt by the NFL to implement a rule prohibiting a “swivel hip-drop” tackle,” said the NFL Players Association in a statement posted on X (formerly known as Twitter).
“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,” said the NFLPA. “We call on the NFL, again, to reconsider implementing this rule.”
However, despite the calls against it, the NFL VP of football operations, Troy Vincent, reiterated the NFL’s stance as “something we want to get out of the game.”
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“This is a specific type of a tackle where a player grabs and unweights himself … and comes down on the knee or the ankle,” said competition committee chairman Rich McKay, clarifying that not all hip-drop tackles will be prohibited. He acknowledged it may be difficult for officials to see elements and that it will be enforced mostly through fines.
“It’s hard for us at the National Football League to walk out of a room and not address this,” said Vincent. NFL owners will vote on the proposed rule changes during the annual league meetings that will take place in Orlando, Florida, from March 24-27.
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