Column by NFL Players Association President JC Tretter pointed at it. The player in question acknowledged this.
Falcons fullback Keith Smith said he was fined $87,418 for illegal helmet use, via Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com wiped out.
“Especially in my position, we’ve had a lot of hits, not only on kick returns but also as fullbacks, because we’ve been fined a lot for helmet use,” Smith told Rothstein. “I’m just running a routine block.”
This issue stems from extensive rules created by the legal and public relations departments (as explained in control tower), hidden from the media and stuffed with ownership in early 2018. Players are prohibited from lowering their helmets or making forcible contact with opponents. Situations like this happen all the time, especially when one player tries to block another.
“The rule of using a helmet is very subjective and sometimes it’s impossible because you can’t always control how the defender attacks you,” Smith said. “This means that the techniques taught can only be used continuously, and slowing down in slow motion may violate the rules.”
Tretter said in his column that the player’s coach in question (now known as Smith) had “previously asked the league for guidance on how to properly perform the technique for which the player was fined. , and received no response.” ”
The answer came from the appeals process. Fines have been completely abolished. This, frankly, shows that the NFL has no idea how to properly enforce the rules. This should make the NFL reconsider the wisdom of the rule in the first place.