About NFL Face Mask Design Rules

Video Transcript

"Hi, my name is Lawal McCray Senior, I'm the head football coach at Blanche Ely High School, we're located in Pompano Beach, Florida. Let's talk about some of the NFL Face Mask guidelines and rules. The NFL decided to implement the face mask to help prevent the players from head injuries. The very beginning of football, it was only a covering for the head. Initially, a leather helmet and then it went on to become more of a plastic, a hard casing they used. The last part of that was the face mask, which consists of between one to four bars covering the face. And once again, it was implemented for the safety of the players. Now their rules, to help, even additional, to protect the players in addition, such as, the opposing team cannot grab or pull on the helmet or face mask of another player. If they do, they will receive a fifteen yard penalty. If it's deemed to be intentional, today in NFL, the player would get fined for pulling or twisting a person's head by either using the face mask. Despite all the protection and equipment, there has been an institute over the years to protect the players. Players still get hurt in this great game of football, injuries are just part of the game. And some people wonder, why do players still want to play this game, when you maybe severely injured. One thing the history of football has shown, that the owners of these teams, the coaches do everything they possibly can to protect the players and keep them safe. The players have decided to play the game because of their love and their competitive nature. I believe that's a human instinct that started from the time of the Gladiators. And today, young people still enjoy the game because of the competitive nature, and also to help get the image out in being a part of the team. And noting that, with all these safety measures are in place, injuries are minimized over the years."