Former President Donald Trump is no fan of the new NFL kickoff rules.
The Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers opened their season in Brazil on Friday night, with the 2024 Republican presidential nominee apparently watching.
Trump took to Truth Social to register his disgust with the new rules.
“I can’t believe the NFL is effectively getting rid of the always exciting Kick Off Return. Such an exciting part of football. What are they doing? BEGINNING OF THE END!” Trump wrote.
Those unfamiliar with the new rules will be in for an eye-opener on Sunday when most of the league swings into action:
- Kickers will kick off from their own 35-yard line. The 10 other players from the kicking team will line up on the opposing team’s 40-yard line.
- The receiving team will have at least nine players line up in the “setup zone” between the 35- and 30-yard lines. Two returners will be stationed in a landing zone, from the 20-yard line to the goal line.
- No players (except the kicker and returners) can move until the ball is received by a returner.
- Returners can return the football wherever it lands.
- A touchback at the 20-yard line would occur if the ball touches the ground or player in the landing zone, rolls beyond the goal line and downed in the end zone.
- A touchback could occur at the 30-yard line if the ball goes out of bounds behind the receiving team’s goal line, if it strikes the goalpost, or lands at or beyond the goal line and downed in the end zone.
You can see the new kickoff rules in practice in the video below:
🚨VIDEO🚨THE #NFLs NEW KICKOFF FORMATION.
Players line up 5 yards apart & start running
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pic.twitter.com/TV7Vt0EsPY— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) August 2, 2024
