NFL commissioner Roger Goodell defended the NFL's brand-new rule against initiating contact with the helmet Wednesday in his public address to close the annual league meetings.
On Tuesday, the league approved a new rule that will penalize a player on either side of the ball for initiating contact by using their helmet - a regulation that was drafted and passed in one day and has drawn criticism from players.
Goodell wants them to reserve judgment until the league visits all 32 teams to meet with players, coaches, and medical staff to better explain the rule.
"We think this is going to help us take the helmet out of the game and get it back to where it's a protective device as opposed to something that can be used as a weapon," Goodell said.
A number of players were injured during the 2017 season as a result of helmet-to-helmet hits and plays in which the helmet was the primary point of contact.
With so much focus on player safety and limiting the number of concussions in the sport, adding such a rule was the next logical move.
Goodell said he has received lots of support from coaches, who back the use of instant replay on potential ejections for violating the rule.
"Everyone really felt like this was a necessary step," New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton said, according to ESPN's Kevin Seifert.
Goodell added that coaches will have to instruct players to work on changing their instincts.
"We believe that this rule is actually going to be very easy for us to officiate and bring clarity," he said, according to Mark Maske of the Washington Post.
