President Donald Trump on Monday criticized the NFL’s revised kickoff rule, calling it "sissy football" and urging the league to reverse the change.
Trump posted on Truth Social that the league made a "ridiculous-looking new Kickoff Rule" and said the new formation "is at least as dangerous as the 'normal' kickoff, and looks like hell." He added that "'Sissy' football is bad for America, and bad for the NFL!" and expressed hope that college football would "remain the same, hopefully forever."
The change that prompted the criticism was introduced by the NFL last season as part of a series of adjustments intended to reduce high-speed collisions on kickoffs while preserving the play's excitement. Under the current setup, the kicker lines up at his team's 35-yard line while the rest of the kicking team's coverage unit lines up on the receiving team's 40. Players on the coverage team are prohibited from running downfield until the ball either hits the ground or a player in a designated landing zone — between the receiving team's 20-yard line and the goal line, including the end zone — touches the ball. The receiving team must place nine players between its 35- and 30-yard lines, with at least six on the 35 and two in the landing zone; kicks that land in that area must be returned.
League statistics indicate the tweak has not increased returns. According to the NFL, the percentage of kicks not returned rose from a previous figure of 21.8 percent to 32.8 percent last season, and ESPN reported the touchback rate reached 64.3 percent. The NFL said concussions on kick return plays dropped by 43 percent after the new formation was adopted.
In an attempt to stimulate more returns, the league moved the touchback starting point from the 30-yard line to the 35 before this season, giving teams that return kicks an additional five yards of field position. Based on last season's starting points for returns — an average of the 28.8-yard line, according to ESPN — the change would increase the net gain for returning teams to roughly 6.2 yards compared with the prior touchback spot, up from an effective 1.2 yards.
Trump has previously criticized the kickoff format. On Super Bowl Sunday in February, he wrote that "the worst part of the Super Bowl, by far, was watching the Kickoff where, as the ball is sailing through the air, the entire field is frozen, stiff," and asserted that "College Football does not do it, and won't!" The president has framed his objections in both safety and stylistic terms.
NFL officials have defended the adjustments as a balance between reducing dangerous head-on collisions and preserving competitive play. League data pointing to fewer concussions aligns with the stated safety goals, while the rise in touchbacks has prompted further rule refinements aimed at encouraging returns.
The debate highlights competing priorities for a sport that draws intense scrutiny over player safety and gameplay aesthetics. The NFL is continuing to monitor kickoff outcomes and injury metrics as it evaluates the overall effect of the rule changes, and team strategies may shift as the league's touchback benchmark and player formations evolve.
