Trump Tackling NFL: Don's First Order of Business Is Blasting Dynamic Kickoff Rule — Demanding League 'Get Rid of It!'
Donald Trump slammed the NFL's new dynamic kickoff rule.
Nov. 11 2024, Published 3:45 p.m. ET
Donald Trump has some thoughts about the NFL's new dynamic kickoff rule.
RadarOnline.com can reveal amid selecting cabinet members and working with his transition team, the president-elect put his busy schedule on hold to watch Sunday Night Football – and shared his two cents on the new rules adopted this season.
Trump, 78, took to Truth Social to blast the NFL and demand the changes be reversed.
Trump demanded the NFL 'get rid' of the dynamic kickoff rule.
He wrote on Truth Social: "The NFL should get rid of the ridiculous new Kickoff Rule!"
The rule Trump referred to in his post was introduced in September, at the start of the 2024-2025 season.
According to NFL operations, the dynamic kickoff rule was adopted "to address the lowest kickoff return rate in NFL history during the 2023 season and an unacceptable injury rate on kickoffs prior to that, NFL clubs have approved a new kickoff rule for the 2024 season."
The NFL updated the kickoff format to address 'an unacceptable injury rate'.
The updated kickoff rule was designed to "resemble a typical scrimmage play by aligning players on both teams closer together and restricting movement to reduce space and speed" as well as "promote more returns".
All NFL teams agreed to revision of the kickoff format.
In an effort to reduce the "unacceptable injury rate", players on the kicking team are now required to line up on the receiving team's 40-yard line, instead of behind the kicker.
Additionally, the kicking team players "cannot move until the ball hits the ground or player in the landing zone or the end zone" and kickers "cannot cross the 50-yard line until ball touches the ground or player in landing zone or end zone".
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Trump bashed the rule at the start of the season as a 'terrible mistake'.
This isn't the first time Trump has expressed his disproval of the rule change.
While speaking with Outkick.com's Clay Travis during the University of Alabama vs. University of Georgia game in September, he said: "I don't know what they're doing with the kickoff return in the NFL, and I don't want to get involved in controversy, but it looks so bad, and I noticed they haven't done that in college, and they shouldn't do it, and I think the NFL should go back."
Within the same breath, Trump went on to acknowledge the traditional kickoff format, which was still being used in NCAA football, was "maybe it's a little more dangerous".
Trump praised college football for not adopting the NFL dynamic kickoff format during the Alabama vs. Georgia game.
Despite acknowledging potentially dangerous outcomes with the outdated format, Trump seemingly concluded there were inherent risks associated with playing football and the rule was a "terrible mistake" because "looks so strange".
He added: "It is, you know, it's football. I think (the NFL) made a terrible mistake of doing that.
"But you look at this, (college football hasn't) done it, it was the first thing I was looking at, I said, 'have they done it?' It looks so strange and you don't take something that's working and change it."
Trump concluded by praising the match-up between the top teams from Alabama and Georgia – both states he ended up winning in the election – as "really big-time football" that was "great to see".
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