cnn
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NFL owners officially voted to ban the 'hip tackle' from the sport on Monday, after a annual league meeting in Florida.
The tackle has long been a topic of debate and was cited as the reason behind multiple injuries in the NFL.
According to the NFLThe hip-drop tackle in question involves a turning technique in which a player “grabs the runner with both hands or wraps them with both arms” and “relieves himself of weight by turning and dropping his hips and/or lower body.” of the body, landing and trapping the runner's leg(s) at or below the knee.”
Starting next season, the tackle will result in a 15-yard penalty and an automatic first down, the league announced.
However, not everyone is happy with the decision.
“Just fast forward to the flag belts,” said former three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year JJ Watt. said in Xformerly known as Twitter, in response to the news.
Miami Dolphins safety Jevon Holland also criticized the decision. publishing in X: “Latest news: boarding prohibited.”
Rich McKay, chairman of the NFL Competition Committee, defended the rule change.
“We have an obligation, from a health and safety point of view, to protect players when there is an excessive risk of injury,” he said during a news conference on Monday.
“And in this one, there is pure data that there is an unreasonable risk of injury. That's why we changed the rule.
“We made many proposals for the rules of the game and changes throughout the year regarding health and safety. And sometimes, they're seen as watering down the game. I just don't agree with that at all. “I think you’re trying to make the game safer.”
Baltimore Ravens star Mark Andrews was a victim of the tackle last season, suffering a serious ankle injury after being taken down by the controversial tackle in November.
Earlier this year, Andrews said he did not blame the player who tackled him and would not intervene in the conversation about whether to ban the technique.
“It was just an unfortunate event,” he said. saying. “I'm just going to let everyone else do their thing. If they want to ban tackling, that's fine. I'm going to try hard no matter what. I don't blame the boy. He was just playing hard.”
The league also voted in favor of two other changes during Monday's meeting, first “to protect a club's ability to challenge a third decision following a successful challenge” and second “to allow the application of a serious foul by the offense before a change of possession. in a situation in which there are fouls on both teams.”