In recent years, there has been a lot of debate surrounding kickoffs in football with some believing that due to an increased risk of injury on those plays, the kickoff should be eliminated from the game entirely. But NFL commissioner Roger Goodell does not seem to be of that opinion.
During his annual Super Bowl press conference on Monday evening, Roger Goodell was asked about the recent rule change to kickoffs this year that allowed teams to take a touchback with a fair catch. But despite the rule change, Goodell remains committed to keeping kickoffs a part of the NFL game while also working to make them as safe as possible.
“I thought this rule was necessary for the one year because we need to innovate,” Goodell said during his press conference according to Pro Football Talk. “To find a way to keep the kickoff in the game. It’s an exciting play, it’s important for us, the same as punts, but when you see a higher injury rate for that play, you can’t ignore that.”
We’ll have to see what sort of changes the league makes in an effort to make the kickoffs safer, but it’s pretty clear they will remain in the game for the foreseeable future.
