Bears safety Jaquan Brisker on possible hip-drop tackle ban: 'We just want to play football'
Jaquan Brisker #9 of the Chicago Bears celebrates after a fourth down stop against the Detroit Lions at Soldier Field on December 10, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
CHICAGO - Chicago Bears safety Jaquan Brisker appeared to take issue with the possibility of the NFL banning hip-drop tackles as Roger Goodell remarked on the idea on Wednesday.
Goodell told reporters after the December League Meeting was finished, he would like to see the maneuver taken out of the game.
"Hip-drop, I would tell you, I think we all should work to get that out of the game," Goodell said, via NFL.com. "You see it escalated in the number of times it occurred this season. The injury can be very devastating. We saw that also. It's not just happening at the NFL level. It's also happening at other levels. (It's) something I feel like we've got to work very hard to get that removed this spring."
NFL Executive Vice President Troy Vincent agreed earlier in the day.
"I think a year ago when we actually brought the hip-drop or the version of the tackle that we were seeing on the video, there were some clips that we had no clue what we were talking about. In their mind, never saw it before, don't teach it," Vincent said.
"Others were not actually teaching a version of it with the intent of injuring a player, but versions of the tackle. All of this is in that family of when we saw the hawk tackle and people adjusting to getting the head out of the game."
Vincent said the "one thing" they could do now is define what the hip-drop tackle is.
However, Brisker said all of the rules for the offense was "crazy."
"It’s never on purpose or intentional… we just want to play Football. All these rule changes for the offense is crazy," Brisker wrote on X.
However, the injuries from the tackle have piled up, especially this year.
Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith and Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill were all injured as a result of the move.
Pro Football Talk noted that Australia’s National Rugby League banned the move because of the injuries.