NFL may mandate knee and thigh pads
According to the National Football League and sources from various teams, the days of players choosing whether or not they want to wear knee and thigh pads might come to an end during this year’s Super Bowl.
A major focus point of teams is the increasing number of knee bruises and quad injuries to bring forth a proposal to make knee and thigh pads mandatory.
The idea will be presented to owners during a meeting in March although there is also a good chance that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will just order the changes to be instated during the 2011 season without consulting owners.
The NFL has already spoken with equipment manufacturers about making the leg pants of the players’ uniforms with the pads built into the pants so that players do not need to insert and remove them. The pads will be the lightest and safest knee and thighs
pads that offer protection but still permit maximum maneuverability.
An ongoing discussion about players who do not wear pads started a long time ago. Coaches, general managers, and owners have been frustrated when players remove any and all leg pads in order to play at the fastest speed possible without limitations from
the pads. This leads the players to suffer injuries if they are hit which causes them to lose playing time. The discussion has already been acknowledged by league officials, including Goodell.
During the 2010 Regular Season, Minnesota Vikings’ Adrian Peterson was injured after running into Tarvaris Jackson on a handoff, injuring his knees. He was out for one game after sustaining the injury. The same thing happened to Philadelphia Eagles’ quarterback
Michael Vick. While attempting a running play, Vick banged into the center, injuring his thigh. He wore a special thigh protection pad for their first round playoff game against the Green Bay Packers, which they lost.
The league is also discussing mandating hip pads. However, there is more focus on knee and thigh pads being required because of the results of the injury research.
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