The NFL is standing by its controversial new helmet rule.
In a statement released this afternoon, NFL Executive V.P. of Football Operations Troy Vincent said that while the league’s competition committee listened to feedback from players, coaches and officials, there will be no changes.
“The committee resolved that there will be no changes to the rule as approved by clubs this spring, which includes no additional use of instant replay,” Vincent said. “The committee also determined that inadvertent or incidental contact with the helmet and/or facemask is not a foul.”
But that last part of the statement points to a reason this rule may be officiated inconsistently: Two different officials could look at the same play and come to different conclusions about what constitutes “inadvertent or incidental contact.” The league is in for a rough time if officials aren’t all on the same page about that.
The regular season starts two weeks from tomorrow, and there are still more questions than answers about the new rule. But one question has been definitively answered: The rule is here to stay.