Ejection for targeting? This will not end well

 

Football Rules Committee recommends ejection for targeting defenseless players - NCAA.org

Published on www.ncaa.org | shared via feedly

The NCAA Football Rules Committee took steps to further protect student-athletes by proposing a rule to eject players who target and contact defenseless players above the shoulders.

The committee, which met Monday-Wednesday, unanimously voted to increase the on-field penalty for targeting. The penalty, if approved by the Playing Rules Oversight Panel, will be a 15-yard penalty and automatic ejection of the player. The Panel meets on March 6 to review the proposals and membership comment.

“Student-athlete safety will always be one of our primary concerns,” said Troy Calhoun, chair of the committee and head coach at the United States Air Force Academy. “We all have a role to embrace when making a positive impact on our game. Taking measures to remove targeting, or above the shoulder hits on defenseless players, will improve our great sport.”

Via NCAA.org.

Everyone is in favor of rule changes that make a very dangerous sport safer for those who play it. This is especially true when those who play it are doing it for free or in exchange for the opportunity to get a free college education.

If history has shown us anything though, it's that college football officiating is nowhere near good enough for a rule like the one proposed to succeed in making the game safer while keeping it competitive and interesting.

Remember how awful the officiating was when the NFL and the officials union were at odds at the beginning of the 2012 season? Imagine taking an even bigger step backwards in overall quality, and then letting these guys decide whether or not to eject a player for what they consider "targeting."

First, you have to define what a "defenseless player" is in a manner that is so clear cut that all agree he is defenseless vel non. Secondly, you have to define "targeting" in an equally clear and unambiguous way, and you can't leave it up to the conferences to establish those standards. These are big decisions.

Such decisions could have game and season changing consequences and quite frankly, we don't have a lot of confidence in college officials' decision-making abilities, do we?

Basketball, soccer and lacrosse are contact sports.  Football is an impact sport. Dangerous collisions are inevitable and anything that reduces the physical consequences of simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time and moving in the wrong direction is a step forward. This rule won't affect those consequences one bit.

What it will almost certainly do is change the entire dynamic of a football game. The ejection of a key defensive back or linebacker could be the difference in whether a team wins or loses the game, a conference title or perhaps even a national championship. Do you want college football officials wielding that kind of arbitrary power?

Not just no, but Hell No.

Exit Question: Why is it that only defensive players always seem to get flagged for "targeting a defenseless player?"