Steelers Legend Hines Ward Prompted NFL to Create a New Rule Due to His Unique Style of Play

Published 06/06/2022, 2:14 PM EDT

Hines Ward was the former wide receiver of the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was one of the best receivers and the most brutal ones. His play in the NFL is the reason behind a rule known as Hines Ward Rule. What prompted the creation of a new rule that too specifically by the player’s name?

Hines Ward was a Pittsburgh Steelers star who fearlessly showcased his rough game on the football field. He has been in many controversies and was nicknamed ‘Dirty Player.’ NFL went ahead and created a new rule for the safety of the players because of Hines Ward.

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The Hines Ward Rule says, “A blindside block cannot be delivered with a helmet, shoulder or forearm to an opponent’s head or neck. That’ll be a 15-yard penalty.” So if the opponent is not in a position to defend himself, then one cannot hit the opponent with a helmet, forearms, or shoulders on the opponent’s head or neck.

This rule got approved by the NFL in 2009 and is still followed in the league. There were many times Hines attempted to block when the opponent player was defenseless. One such incident happened with Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Keith Rivers whose jaw broke off with the jolting block made by Hines Ward.

Hines Ward found the rule named after him ‘kind of funny’

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There are many more like, Hines lowering his helmet on Ravens safety Ed Reed another Ravens linebacker Bart Scott was similarly blocked by Hines. He was also given a $5000 fine for hitting Browns Daven Holly helmet to helmet.

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After the rule’s formation by the NFL, Ward said, “It’s kind of funny because week in and week out, that’s all we see is highlights of somebody getting blown up by a defensive player. In my case, it’s shunned or doesn’t look good or makes me a dirty player. I don’t do anything different than what they do to offensive players.”

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Hines Ward’s career ended in 2012, and since then, he has been coaching some football teams. He was an offensive assistant with the New York Jets from 2019 to 2020. Currently, he is with the Florida Atlantic as the receiver’s coach. Hines has also been named as one of the coaches of the XFL league that will take place in 2023.

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Written by:

Aniket Srivastava is an NFL Writer at Essentially Sports. Having completed his bachelor's in Architecture, he has worked under a few Architects until his love for writing urged him to be a full-time writer. Aniket has a keen interest in NFL and ardently follows two teams: Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, of course, because of Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes, respectively.

Edited by:

Deepika Bhaduri

Steelers Legend Hines Ward Prompted NFL to Create a New Rule Due to His Unique Style of Play

Hines Ward found the rule named after him ‘kind of funny’

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