Before the NFL changed the rules on kickoff returns, allowing the return team to call a fair catch no matter where the ball’s at on the field in the name of player safety, special teams coordinators from all 32 teams had one veteran speak in opposition.
For the Green Bay Packers, that veteran was Dallin Leavitt.
“I think we got to the issue too late, so we didn’t have an opportunity to make a public statement,” Leavitt told Packer Central this week. “So, at that point, there was nothing we really could do. It’s pretty frustrating, to say the least, to be honest.”
As reported by Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, concussions on kickoffs have increased from 10 in 2020 to 14 in 2021 to 19 in 2022. According to league projections, the kickoff-return rate will decrease from 38 percent to 31 percent. In the process, the concussion rate will fall 15 percent.
Leavitt doesn’t argue that there will be fewer concussions.
“Honestly,” Leavitt said before a lengthy pause, “I want to say certain things that I’m just not going to say. Of course, concussion numbers are going to go down when there’s less snaps being played. If you don’t play the game of football, there’s not going to be football injuries. Same concept. Simple as that. I’ll just leave it at that.”
That concussions on kickoffs essentially doubled over the past few years is noteworthy but, still, it’s 19 concussions out of a play performed about 2,700 times last season. As part of their battle against the rules change, Breer reported that coordinators determined 11 of the 19 concussions were sustained on a kickoff that reached the end zone; the rules change will do nothing to prevent those from occurring.
Moreover, Leavitt said, “I think the issue is that a lot of the concussions came from the preseason games. It’s a different product in the preseason vs. what’s out there in the regular season in terms of players, technique, ability to be under control. It’s just a different product.”
Football players signed up to play football – especially high-level football – knowing the risks. They started playing football because they loved the game. While nobody is against player safety, there’s a fear that the assault on kickoffs – and whatever’s next – is ruining that game.
“Yeah, at a certain point, we’re going to be pulling the flags,” Leavitt said. “That’s my concern: My grandkids are pulling the flags instead of playing the game. The beautiful part of football and why people love football is the physicality of it. There’s no taking that away unless you want to take off the pads and you want to pull flags.”
The rules changed passed as a one-year trial. That provided no solace to Leavitt. One the genie is out of the bottle, there’s no going back.
“I’m not very optimistic, to be honest,” of the change being reversed next year. “Again, they’re just going to look at the numbers and they’re going to say, ‘Oh, look, the concussion numbers went down.’ Well, duh. Concussion numbers went down because there were 40 percent less returns.
“I don’t know the NFL’s purpose is. If they were really worried about player safety and concerned about the truth about player safety, we wouldn’t play on turf fields. There’s all these different areas that we can discuss about player safety. It’s not that. It’s an NFL decision, I don’t agree with it and I’m not going to speak on it because I’m not going to say anything that’s going to get me in trouble.”
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