On Monday morning, President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to voice strong opposition to the National Football League’s latest change to the game — a new, so-called “safer” kickoff format that’s already drawing serious backlash from traditional football fans and players alike.
In what the NFL claims is a move to reduce injuries and boost return plays, the league has implemented additional changes this season. Last year’s shift already raised eyebrows by requiring players on both teams to remain stationary until the ball is touched by a player or lands in the designated “landing zone” — a specific area between the 20-yard line and the goal line. If the ball was kicked into the end zone for a touchback, the receiving team would begin its possession at the 30-yard line.
But this season, the rule changes go even further: if the kickoff fails to land in the “landing zone,” the receiving team now gets the ball at the 35-yard line — an obvious incentive to encourage more returns and reduce touchbacks.
Despite the NFL’s claims of improved safety, many see this as a continued push toward neutering the toughness and intensity that once defined American football. One of the most prominent critics is President Trump, who didn’t hold back in his Truth Social post:
“The NFL has to get rid of that ridiculous looking new Kickoff Rule. How can they make such a big and sweeping change so easily and quickly. It’s at least as dangerous as the ‘normal’ kickoff, and looks like hell. The ball is moving, and the players are not, the exact opposite of what football is all about. ‘Sissy’ football is bad for America, and bad for the NFL! Who comes up with these ridiculous ideas? It’s like wanting to ‘roll back’ the golf ball so it doesn’t go (nearly!) as far. Fortunately, college football will remain the same, hopefully forever!!”
The NFL, once a symbol of American grit and masculine competition, continues to make changes that critics argue are overly cautious, politically influenced, and out of touch with the sport’s blue-collar roots.
As the league tries to rebrand for safety and optics, many are left wondering if it’s losing the very essence of what made football great. Thankfully, as Trump noted, college football — still packed with raw, hard-hitting energy — hasn’t yet gone down the same path.
