Days before Super Bowl 50, commissioner Roger Goodell suggested that players committing two personal fouls in a game be subject to automatic ejection. And now it has become a reality.
The NFL Competition Committee has adopted the rule change for the 2016 season. Specifically, a "player penalized twice in one game for certain types of unsportsmanlike conduct fouls" will be "disqualified."
The rule will be reevaluated next offseason.
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Of course, all personal fouls aren't created equally. For example, in the first half of the Super Bowl, Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib was flagged for two personal fouls, including a blatant facemask.
Were the infractions enough to kick him out of the game? No, of course not. But Goodell wants to guard against what happened during the regular season when Odell Beckham Jr. lost his mind when facing Josh Norman.
So what's egregious enough to get a player ejected? According to NFL.com's Ian Rapoport, fewer than five penalties make the list. And ProFootballTalk reported last week that two categories are being considered.
The first category would consist of verbal abuse, taunting, and throwing a punch or a kick. The second category would be broader, with hits on defenseless players, impermissible use of the helmet, crown-of-helmet violations, roughing the passer, late hits, striking, kneeing, and kicking.
