Owners in the NFL voted Tuesday to ban leaping on field goal attempts because of the risks involved to other players on the field.
The controversial leap block plays were debated throughout the season last year, with some coaches such as the Cardinals’ Bruce Arians calling the blocks “bad for football,” SB Nation reported.
After a 6-6 tie game in which Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner jumped over the center to block a field goal attempt by the Cardinals, Ariens expressed concern for the center, who had his head down to snap the ball and wouldn’t realize a player was leaping over him.
“What you’re going to have to do now is start having centers raise their face up and get kicked in the face and things that are just dangerous to the players,” Arians said, SB Nation reported. “I think it’s a dangerous play as it is and should be taken out of the game.”
Players union president Eric Winston agreed. “I think the guys that are getting jumped over are going to end up getting hurt, with those guys landing on them,” he told The Washington Post.
“If that guy gets his legs hit and falls on someone’s leg, those are big injuries. Those aren’t sprained-ankle sort of injuries,” Winston said on Pro Football Talk. Before the ban, the play was only a violation if the leaper landed on an offensive player.
Fans who enjoyed the artistry and skill involved in leaping on field goal attempts took to Twitter to bash the NFL for the rule change.
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