The recent wave of ACL injuries has reignited concerns about player safety in the NFL, although the numbers are actually trending downward. But when stars like Micah Parsons and Patrick Mahomes are affected, the issue demands attention. Questions about non-contact injuries, playing surfaces, and inconsistent field conditions are growing louder, especially with talks of an 18-game schedule, highlighting the need for safer, universal standards to protect players and DP suggests a solution.
Dan Patrick: “Why are we having these ACLs? Is there something that is maybe suspicious with this or something we could pinpoint on this? But when you have star players get hurt, that's when we take notice. Micah Parsons and Patrick Mahomes, two of the biggest names offensively and defensively in the game… But if the NFL is going to look at this and we're going to go to an 18-game schedule, I think we've got to be fair to these players… But you see some of these fields! So that, to me, is what's alarming. Did they get hurt non-contact? Where did they get hurt? Did they get hurt on natural turf? Astro turf? Can we come up with something that's universal so these players can prepare for that?”