But he also thinks Indy screwed up the end game (they very much didn’t), so take it with a grain of salt
After Joseph Addai took two deliberate blows to his helmet — first a helmet-to-helmet hit from Kedric Golston then a forearm-to-helmet hit from London Fletcher — and collapsed in the Indianapolis-at-Washington game, Cris Collinsworth of NBC said, “That is a perfectly clean hit, blows to the head are allowed on running plays.”
Really — it’s “perfectly clean” to slam your forearm into another player’s helmet? Existing rules on head protection are poorly worded, which may be a reason officials have trouble knowing what to enforce. Let’s hope the upcoming NFL announcement includes both stricter rules and clearer rules.
Existing rule 12, 2, 7g bans “using any part of a player’s helmet (including the top/crown and forehead/hairline parts) or facemask to butt, spear, or ram an opponent violently or unnecessarily,” and also states, “violent or unnecessary use of the helmet is impermissible against any opponent.” Any opponent, including the ballcarrier. So it’s not legal to ram your helmet into the ballcarrier’s helmet. But many in the football world think it is — a reason the rules must become clearer. And attitudes must change. If it really were “perfectly clean” to deliver deliberate blows to a ballcarrier’s head, then no one should play football.
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