The NFL’s evolving rules have positively affected players’ safety and health. Between 2002-07, there were 0.38 documented concussions per NFL game, which is 7.6% lower than the 1996 to 2001 period. Even the 2024 season witnessed a 17% reduction in concussion cases compared to 2023 and a 12% reduction compared to the 2021-2023 season. Although there can be multiple reasons for a concussion on the field, the biggest contributing factor is a helmet-to-helmet collision. 

As per the report from ScienceDirect, the incidence of concussion with players penalized for lowering the helmet to initiate contact is greater than the overall incidence of concussions in all plays. The same report says that the concussion rate for plays with a penalty for lowering the helmet (3.5%) is much higher than the concussion rate for all plays in general (0.45%). But despite all these stats, seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady has voiced his own opinion.

On September 5th, veteran linebacker Ray Lewis appeared on the PBD podcast and simply said he doesn’t consider helmet-to-helmet collisions dirty. According to him, “You don’t control a missile”. Responding to this, Tom Brady commented, “Ray played the game the way it’s supposed to be played! Fast, physical, and aggressive! He’s right!!”

Brady not only stood firm with Ray Lewis’s opinion of considering helmet-to-helmet collisions legitimate, but he also supported the way Lewis played during his time. The Ravens legend was a hard-hitting player and had multiple helmet-to-helmet collisions. In 2009, the ex-Ravens’ LB delivered a late helmet-to-helmet hit on wide receiver Chad Ochocinco. Even in 2011, Lewis hit wide receiver Hines Ward helmet-to-helmet in the second quarter. Although the NFL fined Lewis on both occasions, the rules regarding such collisions became stricter in 2018. 

In March 2018, the league brought in a new rule regarding helmet lowering. According to this rule, players cannot lower their heads to initiate and make contact with opponents, regardless of the situation. Also, players will receive a 15-yard penalty and could be ejected for such collisions. This change led to a reduction in the number of concussions in the upcoming years 

But then came 2022, which again forced the NFL to revise the helmet-to-helmet rule. 

The NFL adjusted the rule after a surge in concussions 

The 2022 NFL season witnessed a spike in the number of concussions, as it rose to 141 concussions, a 22% increase. A major reason for this could have been the NFL’s cold approach towards reinforcing the rule. For example, in 2022, there were 229 total fines and warnings for helmet violations, but only 4 penalties were called during games. And half of these fines were rescinded on appeal.

All of this, along with the spike in the number of concussions, was concerning for the NFL, and it led to another revision in the rule. Just months after the 2022 season, this addition was made to the existing rule “A player will also be penalized if he uses any part of his helmet or face mask to butt or make forcible contact to an opponent’s head or neck area.” Also, per the NFL’s current policy, a player will be fined $23,186 for impermissible use of the helmet/launching on the first offense and $46,371 for a second offense. 

Although the NFL has been active and responsive in taking measures to improve players’ health and safety, many players have repeatedly opposed the rule. Veterans like Tom Brady and Ray Lewis played in an era when the rules regarding such collisions were less specific, and these players have their own style, momentum, and way of taking the game on the gridiron. But at the same time, we have to consider the fact that a player should also be healthy to step onto the gridiron again.