Donald Trump really doesn’t like the NFL’s new kickoff format

President Donald Trump appeared on the Pat McAfee Show on ESPN on Tuesday, discussing his admiration for the nation’s veterans on Veterans Day, the impending end of the government shutdown, the role of sports in his political life and big money in college sports.

But there’s one topic that really got the president excited: the NFL’s new kickoff format.

“I hate kickoff,” Trump said in the face of McAfee’s protests.

“I think it’s so terrible. I think it’s so humiliating, and I think it hurts the game. It hurts the pageantry. I said that to Roger Goodell, and I don’t think it’s any safer. I mean, there’s always guys crashing into each other, and… that’s the opposite of what the game (is supposed to be). The ball’s in the air, and nobody’s moving. That’s supposed to be when the ball is in the air, when the ball is played you are supposed to move.

“You come in and the pageantry of the game is so hurt. And I don’t think the NFL, you know, they don’t, they do what they want to do, but I don’t think they’ll change.”

Trump has frequently criticized the NFL’s new kickoff format, first adopted last season in an effort to reduce intense collisions that frequently led to injuries.

CNN has reached out to the league for comment on Trump’s latest criticism of the so-called dynamic kickoff.

Under the old rules, the kicking team started at their 35-yard line and tried to kick the ball as far down the field as possible to give their defense a better chance of stopping the offense away from the end zone. Meanwhile, the receiving team tries to move the ball as far down the field as possible. With two teams racing against each other at full speed, collisions between players were often devastating.

The new version still sees the ball kicked from the kicking team’s 35-yard line, but all players on the kicking team, except the kicker himself, now line up with at least one foot on the returning team’s 40-yard line.

Players must also wait to move until the ball hits the ground or is touched by a returner inside the 20-yard line. Any kick caught or landing in the landing zone must be returned, while any kick that does not reach the landing zone will be considered a touchback and spotted at the returning team’s 40-yard line. If a kick touches the landing zone and then enters the end zone, it must be returned or downed by the receiving team.

Dr. Gupta explains NFL’s ‘biggest rule change in 30 years’

Dr. Gupta explains NFL’s ‘biggest rule change in 30 years’

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Among other things, this essentially means that players are closer to each other and don’t collide with as much speed.

Trump has complained about this rule almost since its introduction. But on Tuesday, he went even further in his lamentations.

“I hope college football doesn’t change, because the power of kickoff is we’re so beautiful, and now, you know, I don’t want to say what it reminds me of, because I’m going to get in big trouble,” Trump said. “It’s not football, and I have no idea what you’re doing. You may not agree with me. I don’t think it’s going to help.”

“It’s so bad. It’s so bad. It’s so unromantic, and it’s just humiliating for football. I don’t think they have the right to do that with the game,” Trump continued. “You know, the game is so important. I don’t think people approve of that. I don’t think anyone has the right to do that to the game. And I hope the university doesn’t change, and I hope one day the NFL stops this and gets back to football.”

The league has argued that the new system is safer than the old one and also results in more exciting games.

Kickoffs have long been one of the most dangerous plays in the game and were four times more likely to cause a concussion than a play involving a run or pass, according to NFL data. Since the format change, the league has been boosted by early results.

In January, the NFL released data from the 2024 season that showed a “significant decrease in concussions.” As expected, the new rule slowed players’ average speed, leading to a lower concussion rate – down 43% from 2021-23.

The NFL said returns increased 57% during the 2024 regular season and seven kickoffs were returned for touchdowns – the most since 2021.

In October, Allen Sills, the NFL’s chief medical officer, told CNN that the new rule made the game safer.

“It was a resounding success,” Sills said.

He added: “Last year, if you look at our data, the return rate is significantly higher, but the injury rate was one of the lowest we’ve seen. So that’s what we were looking for with the game, is to make it more exciting but also safer. So we looked at space and speed. It went down, which is what we expected from the game. We saw, again, more excitement. And here’s an unexpected benefit: because the starting point average of the drives was farther away, closer to the 30 yard line, we had fewer punts, which is also a good thing from a health and safety standpoint, because pun is one of our most detrimental plays.