Today I was watching an NFL game and saw a player’s helmet come off during a play. It got me thinking about the rules around that, so I did some digging. Here’s what I found out.
First, I went straight to the NFL rulebook. I mean, who better to explain the rules than the people who make them, right? I found out that it’s all covered under Rule 12, Section 3. Apparently, there’s a whole section dedicated to what happens when a player’s helmet comes off.
So, what did I learn? Well, if a player’s helmet comes off because of a foul by the other team, that player can stay in the game. Makes sense, you don’t want to punish a guy for something someone else did. But, if the helmet comes off and it’s not because of a foul, things get a little more interesting.
- The player can stay in the game, but only if his team calls a timeout. I guess that gives them time to get the helmet back on and make sure everything’s okay.
- If the guy with the ball has his helmet come off, the play is immediately dead. No running with the ball and no helmet! Safety first.
I also learned that the commissioner has some serious power. He can overturn a game result, order a replay, or even discard the results from the point where the helmet came off and resume play from there. Talk about having the final say!
Then there’s some protection for certain players. Kickers, punters, and quarterbacks, when they’re in certain situations, are protected from blows to the head from an opponent’s helmet, forearm, or shoulder. They’re vulnerable during those plays, so I guess the rule makes sense.
I also stumbled upon some info about a new rule from 2010 that’s specifically about helmet removal. It seems like the league is always trying to update things to make the game safer.
So, there you have it,
that’s what I learned about the NFL’s rules on helmets coming off. It’s more complicated than I thought, but it’s all about keeping players safe, which is a good thing. I had always been confused about this rule so I’m glad I finally figured it out.