DETROIT - NOVEMBER 25: BenJarvus Green-Ellis #42 of the New England Patriots celebrates a second quarter touchdown with Deion Branch #84 and Wes Walker #83 while playing the Detroit Lions on November 25, 2010 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. New England won the game 45-24. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Remember eight years ago when the NFL came under scrutiny for banning alternative helmets under the absurd rationale of player safety?
While the league didn’t need to offer much of an explanation for trying to maximize player safety, forbidding an awesome tradition to make its already-violent game less violent (if that’s even possible) was a tough sell for fans, and they reacted with great disappointment.