The NFL’s competition and health and safety advisory committees have formally suggested prohibiting the contentious tackle that prematurely ended New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson’s season during Week 13 of the previous year.
According to insider Jonathan Jones, the league unveiled its proposal to outlaw the “hip-drop” tackle on Wednesday.
The proposal outlines the tackle as when a defender “grasps the runner with both hands or envelops the runner with both arms and unloads his weight by pivoting and lowering his hips and/or lower body, resulting in landing on and ensnaring the runner’s leg(s) at or below the knee.”
The NFL and the competition committee are submitting this language for the dangerous hip-drop tackle. The penalty would be 15 yards. Officials believe they can correctly call it. Some, including the union, have worried about the potential subjectivity of the call pic.twitter.com/PBwAK09iH1
— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) March 20, 2024
If ratified by 24 out of the 32 franchise owners at the annual league meeting, the ban would come into effect for the 2024 season, with a 15-yard penalty imposed for a “hip-drop” tackle.
Former Patriots quarterback Cam Newton expressed in December that the league should proscribe the tackle, though not all players are in agreement with the proposition. The NFL Players Association issued a statement following the formal announcement of the proposal, expressing opposition to any endeavor by the NFL to enforce a regulation prohibiting a “swivel hip-drop” tackle. While prioritizing advancements in the game with health and safety considerations, the players’ association cannot endorse a rule alteration that fosters confusion for players, coaches, officials, and especially fans, urging the NFL to reconsider the implementation of such a rule.
Our statement on the swivel hip-drop tackle. pic.twitter.com/8mzhjtPgKu
— NFLPA (@NFLPA) March 20, 2024
Both current NFL wide receiver Dez Bryant and former defensive back Richard Sherman reacted strongly to the proposal, with Bryant denouncing it as “absurd,” and Sherman anticipating that players will face a dilemma on the field.
Sherman articulated his sentiments on X, stating, “I’m utterly speechless. Players will have to decide whether to allow themselves to be dragged to the first down or concede it through a penalty. This is detrimental to the game.”
The annual league meeting with the owners is scheduled to take place from March 24-27 in Orlando.
