Representatives from all 32 teams convened and approved a total of seven rule changes for the 2018 season, including one that wasn’t on the initial agenda but quickly gained steam in order to reduce the number of players initiating contact with their helmets.
That proposal was introduced and approved on Tuesday after a discussion between NFL officials, Owners, head coaches and general managers. It will still need some massaging with regard to how it is officiated and if it will be assessed through ejections and fines.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Senior Vice President of Officiating Alberto Riveron on Wednesday described a consensus among teams that the rule needed to be created by removing conditional statements in the league’s crown-of-the-helmet rule.