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The hip-drop tackle may be gone from the gridiron forever, and it appalls Richard Sherman
On Wednesday, the NFL's Competition Committee announced, among other changes, that it was seeking to ban the defensive maneuver, wherein a player grabs the ball carrier from behind with both hands/arms and drags him down to the ground.
According to the proposal, doing it will mean a 15-yard penalty and automatic first down.
Former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant called it "insane", to which the former Super Bowl-winning cornerback agreed:
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He himself would use the same word later on:
Sherman is not alone, as the NFL Players' Association also declared its opposition in this statement:
Why is the NFL planning to ban the hip-drop tackle? A summary of recent examples that may prove argument
Like most defensive maneuvers, the hip-drop tackle carries with it the risk of injury. Back in October 2023, in the wake of Dallas Cowboys wide receiver/returner KaVontae Turpin injuring his ankle after being brought down by running back/gunner Jordan Mason during a kickoff return, Competition Committee executive vice president Jeff Miller, claimed that it “results in about a 25 times rate of injury as a typical tackle.”
And as it turns out, they had more examples to prove that argument.
During the 2022-23 NFC Divisional Round Game between Dallas Cowboys and 49ers, running back Tony Pollard broke his leg after being on the receiving end on this maneuver from safety Jimmie Ward.
Around four and a half months after the game, while recuperating from surgery, he commented on banning the hip-drop:
"I feel like it will be hard to do that. I see where the league is going. It’s in the right direction. It’s looking out for the players. I like the idea of it, but I feel like it’ll be hard to actually stamp that and take it out.”
Speaking of that Divisional Round, Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes also injured his ankle on a similar maneuver by Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Arden Key:
The following season, the Baltimore Ravens got to experience its effects firsthand when their record-setting tight end Mark Andrews fractured his leg after being dragged down by linebacker Logan Wilson in Week 11 against the Cincinnati Bengals. After undergoing surgery, he would not return until the AFC Championship Game, which the Ravens lost to the Chiefs.
