A scary play during the Baltimore- Steelers game this Thanksgiving has put the no-helmet rule under fiery discussion.
The Steelers were being dominated throughout the entire game against the Ravens, but fought for a chance to come back towards the end. After a few false starts, it seemed as if the Steelers were finally making some headway as Steelers rookie standout Le’Veon Bell headed towards the end zone.
Unfortunately, an obliterating tackle knocked Bell’s helmet off as he dove into the end zone in a hit heard around the world. Bell suffered a concussion and comforted supporters worldwide via twitter, and fans shifted their concern to the perceived unfairness of NFL’s no-helmet rule:
Leveon bell put his body on the line for his team and it gets called back. What a bogus rule. Praying for my #spartandog
— Luke Chaput (@lukeachaput) November 29, 2013
Le'Veon Bell and the Steelers just got hosed by horrible use of a rule. He was mid air when his helmet came off. Knocked out AND no TD.
— Allen Patterson (@altheparkguy) November 29, 2013
NFL rules clearly state that, “An official shall declare the ball dead and the down ended…when a runner’s helmet comes completely off.” Some experts are now debating if the rule should be modified to make an exception if a player is on his way down, since it is impossible to stop a play while a player is merely going along with gravity at that point.
Further discussion will determine if changes in the NFL rule are to be made. In the meantime, we are grateful that Le’Veon Bell is fine after such a devastating hit.
[image: nfl.com]