Nfl Helmet-to-Helmet Hit Rule
Let Them Play the Game Every part of the game of football means very much to me, which is why I have a passion for the game and why I researched this topic. Helmets are one of the most important pieces of safety gear a football player can have. In October 2010, a new rule was signed off to be placed in the National Football League (NFL) rule book for the safety of NFL players. The helmet-to-helmet hit rule is as follow: using any part of the helmet to butt, spear, or ram any part of the opponent’s helmet (Azpiri). A helmet-to-helmet hit is illegal in the NFL now. The punishment for a helmet-to-helmet hit for a NFL player is being fine with a gradual increase the next times they do it and/or suspension depending on the player’s penalty history. I propose for there not to be a helmet-to-helmet hit rule. The NFL should not include the helmet-to-helmet rule, by doing so; the rule will begin by taking one of the most exciting and popular parts out of the game, hard hits. One of the reasons why I believe that is because they have safety gear on such as: helmets, shoulder pads, knee pads, and thigh pads. If they keep adding rules, pretty soon, we will be able to call it flag football without tackling. Football is a violent sport, when players sign contracts with millions of dollars attached to them; they know how violent the game has always been. Not to mention, no one has to play. If a player does not want to take a hard hit, they do not have to. I agree with Rick Cleveland when he says, “They are ruining the game we love. Football is by nature a violent sport. Nobody says you have to play. Let them play football” (Cleveland). During my research, I found many NFL players that would agree that the helmet-to-helmet rule should not be a rule. For instance, James Harrison, who plays for the Pittsburg Steelers, made a statement after a helmet-to-helmet hit on a Cleveland Brown player during a game, which read “… I didn’t hit that hard, to be