NFL will consider adding targeting rule for next season

NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent said Wednesday the league will consider adding a targeting rule for next season, in the interest of public safety.

Concerns about player safety arose again after New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski delivered a late hit which concussed Buffalo Bills cornerback Tre'Davious White, while Monday's game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals proved to be one of the most violent affairs of the year.

The league will also consider a sanction schedule for "non-football acts" which was exemplified by Gronkowski's late hit, Judy Battista of NFL.com reports.

It appears the NFL is taking a page from the NCAA rulebook. Prior to this season, the NCAA instituted a targeting rule which calls for the ejection of any player who hits a defenseless opponent above the shoulder, or making "forcible contact against an opponent with the helmet's crown,"