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.