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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Curt Popejoy

Steelers LB Kwon Alexander calls out hypocrisy of the NFL and tackling

It seems that every year, the NFL goes to great lengths to try to legislate the violence out of a violent spot in the name of player security. The latest conversation centers around the topic of hip-drop tackle, which the league is considering banning and penalizing players who do them.

According to Pick 6 on Instagram, one player who has had enough of it is Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Kwon Alexander. He even went so far as to say with the way the league is going, in three or four years, the NFL is just going to be flag football.

I had spoken to someone from the league offices in 2016. Who told me then, he thought the league would move to flag in 10-15 years. It sounds like financial suicide but with the direction tackling rules are going, I’m starting to believe it. They’re making it hard for us. I don’t really know what the game is coming to, for real. I don’t know how to stop from tackling someone around the waist. I give it about three or four years and I think they’re going to go to flag.

Life has never been harder for a defensive player in the NFL. The rules are completely skewed to the offensive side of the football because the league believes that high-scoring offenses sell tickets and make money. But does all this micromanagement really create a better product?

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