NFLPA says banning hip-drop tackle would be “detrimental to the game”

 The NFLPA was against a rule banning hip-drop tackles ahead of the 2023 season and the members of the executive committee at the union’s press conference in Las Vegas on Wednesday made it clear that view has not changed.

NFL head of safety Jeff Miller said during the regular season that the play, which sees a defensive player pull down a ball carrier while dropping into their legs, is something the league wants to “get out of the game” and there were a number of injuries to players on such tackles this season. Falcons defensive lineman Calais Campbell said on Wednesday that the NFLPA wants “to keep players healthy and on the field,” but that “there’s only so much you can restrict the game and still call it football.”

“A lot of rules that were put in place over the last 10-plus years that made the game a lot safer were big adjustments for players,” Campbell said. “I feel like this particular rule change, I don’t understand how you can police it the right way and allow us to do our job.”

Chargers running back Austin Ekeler said he believes the rule change would be “detrimental to the game” because tackling players is part of the game and asking officials to rule on what kind of tackle violate that rule would be a step in the wrong direction. NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell noted that the issue will be “discussed in a committee that we may or may not have representation on” and said that the union wants to be sure that its membership is heard before any action is taken.

Read original Pro Football Talk article.