NFL Gets Tough On Helmet-to-helmet Hits
The National Football League is vowing to crack down on dangerous, illegal hits. NFL officials say players could be suspended for helmet-to-helmet hits.
The annoucement of these tough measures comes after two Cleveland Browns players were sidelined when Pittsburgh Steelers' James Harrison hit them this past Sunday.
Lions color commentator, and former University of Michigan football star, Jim Brandstatter said the league must take action now.
"The players that are the best are getting hurt and unable to perform, and that's where they've gotta draw the line. And, with concussions being so very important to the league these days, it is imperative that they stop this helmet-to-helmet and launching and using your head as a weapon in that league," Brandstatter said.
"If the players won't police themselves from doing that, and clearly they haven't, because this past weekend was a rash of head-to-head, helmet-to-helmet contact, then it's up to the league to stop it. And, it's not about, yout know, the league trying to impose some of their own morality, if you will, on the game, it's about protecting players," he said.
Brandstatter says many former players are going through early Alzheimers and senility from such hits in the past.
"What we saw Sunday was disturbing," Ray Anderson, the NFL's vice president of football operations told ESPN.com. "We're talking about avoiding life-altering impacts," he said.
The new sanctions are expected to take effect this weekend.
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