In the NFL, most players were injured on punt and kickoff attempts this season. That’s according to figures from a “health and safety meeting”. Within the league, however, there is no consensus on whether rule changes are necessary.

Munich – The NFL season is coming to an end. Traditionally, the league meets with reporters shortly before the Super Bowl in the context of the annual “Health and Safety Meeting” to talk about the latest findings.

Good news and bad news were released. On the positive side, as in previous years, the number of concussions continues to decline. However, the data shows that players sustain serious injuries mainly on punts and kickoffs.

According to the data, one in six concussions is caused by a special teams play, as “Chief Medical Officer” Dr Allen Sills explained. He also said other figures needed “immediate attention”. 30 per cent of all cruciate ligament tears, as well as 29 per cent of all muscle injuries below the hip, happened on kickoff or punt attempts this season, according to the report.

Must there be more rule changes?

Sills also brought up a specific example from week eight. There, Kylin Hill of the Green Bay Packers and Jonathan Ward of the Arizona Cardinals collided. Hill tore his ACL, while Ward had to leave the field with a concussion.

In 2018 and 2019, the NFL already screwed with the kickoff and punt rules. But the numbers show that there is still room for improvement.

Nevertheless, there are probably voices within the league that are against major changes to the rules. According to Jeff Miller, vice president of communications and public affairs fishing opportunities for the league, changing the rules while still keeping the game exciting would be a difficult undertaking.

However, he also stated that the numbers cannot be ignored. “This (injuries; ed.) is something we have to work on a lot. The numbers clearly show it.”

Especially in the area of head injuries, the league wants to continue to be proactive, Miller explained, “We’re happy with the lower number of concussions, but we feel like we can do more. We want to avoid any possible contact that is not necessary. “