The Patriots were reportedly one of five teams to vote against a controversial rule change regarding kickoffs for the 2023 season.
Following Wednesday’s OTA practice session at Gillette Stadium, Patriots captain and special-teams ace Matthew Slater didn’t mince words when it came to his thoughts on the league’s amended directive.
Per the new rule, all fair catches and touchbacks will come out to the 25-yard line on kickoffs this year, with the league reportedly citing player safety as the driving force behind the change.
Slater disagreed with such sentiment, especially given the other avenues where player safety has largely been overlooked in order to maximize revenues for the league.