NFL finally takes good step forward to address CTE

The NFL is in a fight for its life. It has to come down to head injuries. The collective realization that CTE is literally robbing former players of their brains has sent shockwaves through the league.

Television ratings are down, millions of parents are choosing to have their child skip youth football, and the science is saying the job is killing the workforce.

NFL owners are in a quandary? How do they simultaneously protect their billion dollar asset and protect their workforce at the same time?

What’s the league to do? And what will fans put up with?

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The league took a proactive step last week, at least when it comes to the rules: “Playing Rule Article 8: It is a foul if a player lowers his head to initiate and make contact with his helmet against an opponent. The player may be disqualified. Applies to any player anywhere on the field. The player may be disqualified.”

This new rule comes with a 15-yard penalty and possible ejection. It applies when a running back lowers his head to make a few hard fought yards for a first down. Beastmode would have been ejected a dozen times a game under this rule. It apples to linemen if they lead with their helmet to make a block or a linebacker making what has been considered a textbook tackle for the last 50 years. This rule is a radical change for the NFL.

Immediately, people have pointed out that you could call this foul on every play against 15 different players. Fair enough, but what choice does the NFL have?

CTE and the rules

Commissioner Roger Goodell came out after the announcement and said, “Our focus is on how to take the head out of the game, and make sure we’re using the helmet as protection, and [that] it’s not being used as a weapon. And I think we’ve made a tremendous amount of progress on that this week.”

Hall of Fame Coach John Madden has suggested removing the face mask as a way to keep players from using their heads as a weapon.

Ultimately, this rule change is a good decision. I don’t know exactly how the game will look this year, but things need to evolve. You simply cannot have 250 pound men running at full speed colliding their heads together any longer now that we know it will cause CTE to a percentage of players.

I’ve been a lifelong NFL fan and came of age during the era of celebrated big hits. I like the inherent violence and beauty of the game. But not at the expense of players’ brains.

It may take a generation of players before things really improve, but it’s either this or we watch as the NFL slowly dies.

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