J.J. Watt's nose could lead to new blood rule

J.J. Watt's bloody visage may lead to an NFL rule change.

The NHL and NBA have rules in place that require a player to leave the playing field if they have blood on their person, a rule that former NFL head of officiating Mike Pereira thinks the league will adopt after Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt played on Sunday with blood seeping from the bridge of his nose.

“The NFL does not have a blood rule,” Pereira told ProFootballTalk. “Hockey has it, college football has it, the NBA has it: If you have blood on your person you’re asked to leave the game and it has to be stopped and your uniform cleaned up. Should the NFL have a blood rule? I think they should. In this day and age of infectious diseases it makes sense, and that’s exactly why all the other sports have gone in that direction. . . . I’d bet you that they address it in the offseason, especially after seeing J.J. Watt.”

With the NFL trying to sell themselves to be a league that sees player safety as paramount, it wouldn't be too surprising to see this rule being implemented in the near future.