Ravens HC John Harbaugh explains why he's against new fair catch rule

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh is not a fan of one of the new NFL rules being implemented supposedly in the name of player safety.

"The fair catch rule, we had a chance to weigh in on that with all the special teams coaches," Harbaugh explained, per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. "We had a long talk and discussion about that. We weren’t for it. We voted against it. We think it’s going to create more high-speed head trauma than not having it in there. That’s our position on it. But we’ll see. They want to give it a shot and take a look at it." 

Even before the NFL approved a rule allowing kick returners to call for a fair catch anywhere inside their teams' 25-yard line to have the ball placed at the 25, former players such as return specialist Brian Mitchell and punter Pat McAfee blasted the idea. Coaches reached out to media members to voice their displeasure over the rule, and Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid suggested the NFL was heading toward embracing "flag football" guidelines.

"We thought there were better ideas," Harbaugh, a former special teams coordinator, added.

He did not say why he thinks the new rule will "create more high-speed head trauma." 

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported Thursday that the NFL passed the new rule despite criticisms mentioned during an offseason "brainstorming session with special teams coaches" that did not include NFL competition committee chairman Rich McKay. In a different piece, Florio noted that 19 concussions were linked to kickoff returns from the 2022 season even though only eight of the injuries "could be actually spotted with the human eye" via video replays. 

"Some who oppose the latest change, which allows a fair catch between the goal line and the 25 to become first-and-10 possession at the 25, believe the league is deliberately fudging the numbers in order to support the change that was made," Florio wrote.

What's done is done, and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has a change he's clearly wanted for some time.