US President-Elect Donald Trump has called for the NFL to eliminate its new kickoff rule, which he has described as “ridiculous.”
Trump, who has been preparing for his return to the White House since his previous election loss to Joe Biden, defeated Kamala Harris in a resounding victory last week in a one-sided election.
Over the weekend, he checked in on some football games and expressed his disagreement with the NFL’s new rule which was recently implemented.
According to the Daily Mail, Trump was unimpressed by the NFL’s new kickoff rule, which was introduced at the start of the season in September. He posted on his social media, stating, “The NFL should get rid of the ridiculous new kickoff rule!”
Explaining why the rule was introduced, The Daily Mail reported:
“The new kickoff rule was set up to lessen the number of high-speed collisions due to an ‘unacceptable injury rate.’
The change also aims to encourage teams to run the ball back rather than call a fair catch.
Under the new rule, players from the kicking team now line up on the opposition’s 40-yard line rather than behind the kicker. They cannot move until the ball hits the ground, a player in the landing zone, or the end zone.
The designated landing zone is between the receiving team’s goal line and its 20-yard line. Any kick that lands in this area must be returned.”
Trump had previously criticized the rule change in September after watching a college game between Alabama and Georgia.
“I don’t know what they’re doing with the kickoff return in the NFL, and I don’t want to get involved in controversy, but it looks so bad. I noticed they haven’t implemented it in college, and they shouldn’t. I think the NFL should go back,” he said.
