As we reach the end of college football media days season, we can look back at a number of topics that were uniformly discussed by every conference such as scheduling concerns, possible recruiting reforms and student-athlete misconduct.
But one issue that continually dominated headlines around the country at each of these events was player safety.
As the NCAA faces a lawsuit concerning concussions, many conferences have created new rules and modified others in order to limit injury and keep players safe.
The strict nature has many fans and coaches wondering how heavily these new changes will be enforced and at what point these rules will inhibit a player’s ability to play the game.
At the Southeastern Conference Football Media Days, SEC Coordinator of Officials Steve Shaw discussed the conference’s modified targeting rule that he described as “the most significant rule change in my tenure ever.”
In addition to including punters and quarterbacks who throw an interception on the list of defenseless players, this rule change dramatically increases the penalty for committing a targeting foul. Players caught targeting will be ejected from the game.
But to ensure players are not being taken out of games unnecessarily, officials can review the play and override the disqualification.
This rule is similar to those being implemented by other conferences, and there is no doubt in my mind that it will have a profound effect on the game.
There will likely be an adjustment period early in the season, as players attempt to feel out the new changes, and this will lead to a number of ejections that could potentially affect the outcome of a contest.
I am a huge advocate for player safety, but the one issue I have with this change is the amount of responsibility and power it gives officials in these scenarios.
Referees now have the ability to completely change the landscape of a game with what is essentially a judgment call. Yes, the review does give them the ability to fix something they got wrong, but it is still their opinion. And as we all know, official reviews are not a fool-proof system — see Patrick Peterson’s no-call interception against Alabama in 2009.
I am not implying that officials will use this rule maliciously if given the opportunity, but I do find it disconcerting that they have the ability to.
These changes force officials to use a guilty-before-proven-innocent mindset that could lead to a number of unnecessary ejections.
Big Ten Officials Coordinator Bill Carollo confirmed these fears when he revealed his officials’ policy in these situations: “When in doubt, throw him out.”
This thought process will undoubtedly lead to a number of players questionably being thrown out of games.
Also, the ambiguity concerning these changes is cause for major concern.
Atlantic Coast Conference Officiating Supervisor Doug Roads turned heads last week when he stated South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney’s earth-shattering tackle of Michigan running back Vincent Smith, which has been coined “The Hit” and widely considered one of the best defensive plays of the year, would have been ejected under the current rules.
This sparked a debate that garnered response from players and coaches around the nation, as well as paralyzed former Rutgers defensive tackle Eric LeGrand, who defended the play on Twitter saying, “Take it from a guy who broke his neck.”
Keeping players safe from unnecessary and possibly life-altering injuries is important and must continue to be a serious topic of discussion. But these rules cross a line when players are prevented from doing their job and ejected for plays that are not malicious or careless.
Tyler Nunez is a 22-year-old mass communication senior from Lake Charles.