Fears over the rise of the hip-drop tackle in contact sports have surfaced in the US, with the NFL reaching out to NRL officials in an attempt to rid its game of the dangerous technique.
Graham Annesley, the NRL’s head of elite football, said the NFL and various US media outlets had contacted the NRL to better understand and manage hip-drop tackles in their game after Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard fractured his fibula following a tackle by the San Francisco 49ers’ Jimmie Ward.
Dallas Cowboys player Tony Pollard on the ground following a hip-drop tackle that tore his ligaments and fractured his fibula.Credit: AP
“It’s not just a problem in our game – a game that’s quite similar to ours in many ways, the NFL, is dealing with exactly the same problem, more recently than us,” Annesley said.
“We have been dealing with it for the last three years or so. It’s a current issue in the NFL right now, they’re in their off-season, so they haven’t made any final decisions yet, but they’ve been in contact with us.
“We have also had contact from the media in the United States about how we have been dealing with it here. We have provided as much information as we can to them, and we’re not constantly in contact with them but they have reached out, and we have responded.”
A hip-drop tackle is characterised by a defender taking hold of an attacking player, twisting their body and dropping their body weight on the lower legs of the opposing player, trapping their lower limbs in a dangerous position.
The NRL sent a memo to clubs during the 2020 season, when the tackle started to creep into the game, to warn of the dangers of hip-drops. It cautioned players against using them.
“This action traps, twists, and contorts muscles, tendons and joints in an unnatural way, exposing the ball-carrier to an elevated risk of injury,” the memo from Annesley read.
But unlike in the NRL, where players can be sent them from the field and slugged with multi-game suspensions, hip-drop tackles are still legal in the NFL.
In a statement last month, the NFL Players Association urged the NFL not to change the rules, saying a ban on hip-drops was unfair for players and confusing for fans.
“While the players have consistently advocated for health and safety advancements, any prohibition on the hip-drop tackle technique is unfair to players and unrealistic to implement,” the statement read.
“It places defensive players in an impossible position by creating indecision in the mind of any tackling player, puts officials in an unreasonable situation that will result in inconsistent calls on the field, and confuses our fans. We call on the NFL to reconsider implementing a rule prohibiting the hip-drop tackle.”
The revision of hip-drop tackles from the NFL also follows a tackle on Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, which caused a high ankle sprain.
The NFL is yet to make a decision, but Annesley said the NRL had offered insights.
“It’s more been about sharing our rules and some of the processes that we have put in place to try and address the issue, so it’s more about sharing information,” Annesley said.
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