The hip-drop tackle is officially illegal.
Owners banned the hip-drop tackle on Monday morning during the Annual League Meeting in Orlando, Fla., the league announced.
The NFL’s Competition Committee was unanimous in their voice that the tackle was one the league wanted out of the game. Owners agreed.
The official rule is as follows:
ARTICLE 18. HIP-DROP TACKLE. It is a foul if a player uses the following technique to bring a runner to the ground:
(a) grabs the runner with both hands or wraps the runner with both arms; and
(b) unweights himself by swiveling and dropping his hips and/or lower body, landing on and trapping the runner’s leg(s) at or below the knee.
Penalty: For a Hip-Drop Tackle: Loss of 15 yards and an automatic first down.
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