LOWERING HEAD A PENALTY

The NFL took a step forward in combatting concussions and enhancing player safety on Tuesday with a new rule change. “It is a foul if a player lowers his head to initiate and make contact with his helmet against his opponent,” Rich McKay, chairman of the Competition Committee of the NFL, said at the owners meeting in Orlando.

The foul will result in a 15-yard penalty and the player who commits the foul could face disqualification. If it is a defensive player, the penalty will result in an automatic first down. The rule applies to any player on the field.

McKay added that instant replay officials in New York would help determine an infraction on plays in question.

“This is a pretty significant change,” McKay said. “We felt it was time for a change of this magnitude.”

Players initiating contact with their helmets is a common technique in the game, but McKay said a change was warranted after the NFL’s research discovered a large number of concussions occur on plays when a player lowers his head. The goal is not to just curb concussions, but to make the game safer in general. Last season, Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier lost feeling in his lower body after he led with his helmet to attempt to make a tackle on a Bengals player. McKay did not say if the new rule was a direct response to that hit.