NFL, NFLPA Announce Points-Based Discipline for Player Safety Violations

The NFL and the NFL Players Association announced a new disciplinary system on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, designed to enhance player safety by imposing automatic one-game suspensions for repeated violations of specific dangerous techniques. The joint announcement, made during the league's annual meeting in Atlanta, outlines a points-based accountability system that will take effect for the 2026 season. Under the new rules, players who commit three violations in any of five designated categories will be suspended for one game. The five categories are the hip-drop tackle, horse-collar tackle, launching, hit on a defenseless player, and blindside block. These violations will carry over from season to season, but all players will start the 2026 season with a clean slate. The system is described as a one-year experimental change, though the league and union have indicated an intention for it to become permanent. The policy introduces a "carrot and stick" approach to fines. Players who commit only one violation in the five designated categories will receive 50 percent of their fine back at the end of the season.