Fines Drop, but Study Finds Dangerous Hits Still Prevalent in NFL

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A recent study by the AP analyzed the rate at which NFL players experience dangerous hits by reviewing 549 penalties called through the first 11 weeks of the 2013 football season.  It found that over the first 162 games of the year, 156 of the penalties studied involved contact with the head and neck.  Statistically, this means that nearly once per game, an NFL player receives a blow to the head or neck that could have serious health and/or career consequences.  The numbers also revealed an interesting trend: far more major infraction penalties were called against defensive players than offensive players (224 vs. 69 major infractions, respectively).

While the raw data may seem disconcerting, the total number of fines issued by the NFL for major infractions has actually declined significantly since 2009 – a 32% drop over a four year span.  Fines for illegal hits to quarterbacks saw an even greater decrease (46.4%) over that same time period.

Interestingly, the NFL recently decided against increasing the minimum fine rate by 5% over the offseason after determining that players were still adjusting to the newer safety rules.  Commenting on the adjustment process, Tennessee Titans’ coach Mike Munchak commented that players “have to start thinking about how you’re going to hit the guy when you get there . . . .  I think it’s very, very hard, very difficult.  It definitely is necessary.  I think it has helped the game in that way.  But I think you’ve got to be careful in how these guys are fined and things like that going forward.”

Still, the league hasn’t hesitated to send a message when it felt one was necessary – Ndamukong Suh, a multiple instance offender of the league’s safety rules, was recently fined $100,000 for a low block during an interception return in Week 2 of this season.  Not surprisingly, many players are less than ambivalent about the standards imposed by the new rules.  Green Bay Packers cornerback Tramon Williams noted, “No doubt . . . Guys are still getting penalized for clean shots, getting fined for clean shots, and there’s no other explanation to it.”

While these numbers do seem to indicate that the game is becoming somewhat safer, the lengthy adjustment process still leaves many NFL players at risk of career altering injuries.  Further, it seems doubtful that tinkering with penalty rules can truly remove the risk of injury from the game.  Denver Broncos defensive tackle Kevin Vickerson (who recently suffered a dislocated hip) noted, “It’s a warrior’s game . . . .  You’re going to have collisions.  You’re going to have those injuries.  You just try to do the best you can with them and play within the rules [the league] sets.”

Hits to head still prevalent in NFL

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