Former President Donald Trump has denounced a brand new guidelines change as “the beginning of the end” for the National Football League (NFL).
The NFL launched new “dynamic kickoff” guidelines for the 2024 season, with the league explaining that the guidelines change would assist “promote more kickoff returns” and cut back “injury rates on kickoffs.”
Trump, who has an extended historical past of lashing out at the league and a few of its gamers over Black Lives Matter protests—and in addition spearheaded a 1986 lawsuit towards the NFL as a group proprietor in the long-defunct rival United States Football League—had a special tackle the new guidelines in a post to Truth Social on Friday.
“I am unable to consider the NFL is successfully getting rid of the at all times thrilling Kick Off Return,” Trump wrote. “Such an exciting part of Football. What are they doing? BEGINNING OF THE END!”
Ian Maule
Under the guidelines, the kicking group traces up on the receiving group’s 40-yard line and isn’t allowed to maneuver till the soccer hits the floor, the finish zone, or a participant in the “landing zone”—an space between the 20- and 30-yard traces.
The kicker nonetheless kicks the ball from their very own 35-yard line and can’t cross the 50-yard line till the ball hits the floor, or a participant who’s in the touchdown zone or finish zone.
Surprise onside kicks are prohibited, with the play now solely being allowed after being introduced upfront by a group that’s trailing in the fourth quarter.
The receiving group, minus two gamers in the touchdown zone, traces up in a “setup zone” between its personal 30- and 35-yard traces and should return any ball that lands in the touchdown zone, except it bounces into the finish zone.
Touchbacks are discouraged underneath the new system—the ball is positioned at the 30-yard line if the kicking group kicks it straight into the finish zone and the 40-yard line if it fails to succeed in the touchdown zone or is kicked out of bounds.
Despite Trump’s assertion that the new guidelines have been “effectively getting rid of” kickoff returns, the NFL reported that the change has had the reverse impact throughout the preseason, greater than tripling the charge of returns.
Last 12 months’s NFL season had a record-low kickoff return charge of 22.1 p.c, whereas the ball was returned throughout kickoffs in 70.5 p.c of preseason video games underneath the new guidelines.
Newsweek reached out for remark to Trump’s workplace through e mail on Friday evening.
CBS analyst Bill Cowher, a former NFL participant, coach and Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, just lately praised the guidelines change as a approach to enhance kickoff returns and as “a deterrent to kick the touchback.”
“I like it. No. 1, we’re trying to bring back the return,” Cowher instructed CBS Sports final month. “You had 13 kickoffs in the Super Bowl and not one was returned. I understand that part of it. It looks strange at first, but I’m excited for it. I’m hoping this brings the return back into play and it’s much safer.”
