The NFL's Competition Committee has been meeting recently with the intention of recommending rule changes the league should adopt at the annual meeting next week. The committee has already released a recommendation for the new catch rule, while it's been reported that the committee will also come out against the idea of limiting all pass interference penalties to 15 yards.
Another change the committee will be recommending, according to NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent, is the adoption of college-style ejection rules for players that commit "non-football acts" on the field of play. Here's a video of a play that would potentially qualify as such an act under the new rule:
The @NFL Competition Committee has worked to clarify how officials will call downfield contact. The Committee also recommends allowing GameDay Central to eject a player for non-football acts — actions & techniques that pose great risks to players & have no place in our game. pic.twitter.com/fIEfbzDYiP
— Troy Vincent (@TroyVincent23) March 22, 2018
The Competition Committee carefully examined injury data using science, research & video to improve protecting players from unnecessary risk & reduce player safety-related injuries.
— Troy Vincent (@TroyVincent23) March 22, 2018
Adjudicating this rule from GameDay Central rather than on the field is an interesting recommendation, seeing as it takes the decision out of the hands of the referees that are actually calling the game. It is often easier to spot such a non-football play on TV than it is live, but coaches and fans may not take too kindly to people in an offsite location deciding whether to eject players from the game.
