Football is realizing it’s caused so many lifelong injuries to players. Yes, players play knowing the risks. But with new science on CTE, and a growing body of evidence that repeated football injuries have negatively altered thousands of lives over time, the sport needs to do anything it can to make it safer, and to lessen serious injury even if they can’t do anything about degenerative injuries caused by repetitions (knees, hands, backs, brains) - just ask Luke Staley or Jimmy Mac.

NCAA football has dodged litigation on these issues. Has dodged paying long term healthcare for kids who have lingering injuries.

Throwing kids out for lowering their head is the only teacher for some of these kids. They are trying to keep kids safer, and save an eroding sport as society becomes more and more aware of injustices caused by large organizations who have refused to take responsibility for their culpability of issues they partially caused in the past.

The rule ain’t going anywhere. You’ll see football get more and more cautious - they’ll ban kickoff and punt returns next.