Overview
- At a Thursday media session, Kansas City special teams coordinator Dave Toub said Trump “doesn’t even know what he’s looking at” regarding the revamped kickoff and added, “I hope he hears it.”
- Trump has repeatedly blasted the rule, calling it “terrible,” “demeaning,” and harmful to the game’s pageantry on The Pat McAfee Show after earlier labeling it “sissy football” on social media in September.
- The dynamic kickoff places the kicker at the 35-yard line, aligns the kicking team at the receiving 40, and bars movement until the ball hits the ground or is touched inside the 20, with adjusted touchback outcomes to discourage fair catches.
- The NFL cites a nearly 43% drop in documented head injuries on kickoffs in the first year of the change, alongside a return rate the league reported at roughly 81% early this season.
- Toub’s remarks spread quickly on social media and drew player reaction, including former Chiefs returner Tyreek Hill praising the coach’s stance, as owners have already made the rule permanent.