Richard Sherman has strong take on new NFL rule proposal

Aug 19, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; Richard Sherman on the Amazon Prime Thursday Night Football set before the game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Houston Texans at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Longtime NFL defensive back Richard Sherman had a very strong reaction to one of the NFL’s new rules proposals on Wednesday.

Sherman was sharply critical of the league’s attempt to ban the hip-drop tackle. Responding to a post by Dez Bryant, who called the proposal “insane,” Sherman went a step further, arguing that the league was “ruining the game.”

According to Sherman, the rule would essentially force defenders to choose between being dragged for a first down or simply giving it to them via the proposed penalty yardage.

Brother I’m at a loss for words. Guys going to have to make a decision to either allow them to drag them to the first down or give it by penalty. Ruining the game https://t.co/T1H7dzBmuw

— Richard Sherman (@RSherman_25) March 20, 2024

Sherman was responding to the release of the NFL’s new rule proposal, which would assess a 15-yard penalty against any player flagged for a hip-drop tackle. Interestingly, Seattle Times reporter Bob Condotta said that Pete Carroll, Sherman’s former head coach, planned to lobby for the rule change.

Pete Carroll had planned to lobby in favor of this, citing in part the play on which Geno Smith got hurt in New York last year. https://t.co/PppiNluOYC

— Bob Condotta (@bcondotta) March 20, 2024

Sherman’s stance will be echoed by a number of other players, who will argue that the change is going to make defending and tackling almost impossible. However, the injury risks associated with this type of tackle are clear, and there is definitely support for the proposed change.