NFL boss Roger Goodell says changes to improve American football, not to inhibit it – NFL News
National Football League (NFL) commissioner Roger Goodell has defended the changes being introduced in the professional league to make the game of American football safer than before.
Roger said the changes are to improve the game and not inhibit it, and they evolved the game to be safer than before when some tactics such as slapping was legal.
The commissioner said:
"Football has always evolved, and it always will. Make no mistake: change does not inhibit the game, it improves it."
He said this while delivering a speech on players’ safety at Harvard School of Public Health on Thursday (Nov. 15).
He added:
"Not long ago, the game allowed the head slap, tackling by the face mask, horse-collar tackles, dangerous blocks, and hits to the head of defenceless receivers and quarterbacks. All of that has changed. My commitment has been and will continue to be to change
the culture of football to better protect players without changing the essence of what makes the game so popular. It has been done. And it will be done."
While talking about commitment, he did touch the subject of independent concussion experts’ appointment that the NFL Player Association (NFLPA) has recently demanded from his office to check growing number of head injuries every year.
The union has criticised the role and commitment of the commissioner towards promotion of the players’ safety and protection from concussions, and said that those experts who do not have affiliations with teams should be appointed to monitor, assess and
help treatment of concussions.
Although the commissioner did not hit the subject of the union directly, he said they were facing criticism from commentators about promotion of safety on the field. He said according to those commentators the game does not have a future without physical
play or contact.
He rebuffed such a belief and said the game is evolving, as it has always been, to be safer and safer. During the speech the commissioner also spoke about his position on different matters including mandatory drug testing programme for the players to check
use of performance enhancing substance in the league.
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