NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told a national medical conference Monday that rules aimed at player safety had not taken the rough and tumble out of football or reduced its popularity.
"One constant has been naysayers arguing that these changes are taking something away from the quality of the game and making it less appealing to play and to watch," he said at the annual meeting of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.
"The game is safer and more popular than ever today. That is a true win-win scenario. So we will not be deterred, and every year our NFL competition committee will continue to review injuries and carefully and properly discuss ways we can reduce them through rules changes."
Speaking to news reporters afterward, Goodell said players had been adjusting.
"Players are playing the game differently. They're using their shoulders. They're not using their heads. And I think they're having the same impact in either tackling or separating the ball in the case of a pass play," he said. "You're always going to have individuals that are going to go outside the rules, but they know we're watching and they know it's not in their best interest from a health standpoint."
The NFL has cracked down on illegal hits to the head and neck with penalty flags, fines and the threat of suspensions. It moved kickoffs up 5 yards this season in an effort to minimize collisions.
What might be next? Goodell said the NFL was considering taking linemen out of three-point stances and putting them in stand-up positions when the ball is snapped.
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