Report: NFL to stop players from wearing hoodies under jerseys
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The NFL will implement new rules involving player hoodies, assistant coaches’ access to the field, and the coin toss in the 2016 rule book, ESPN reports.
ESPN’s Ed Werder reports that the series of changes, including a ban on player hoodies, will be implemented in the 2016 NFL rule book in response to specific problems from the 2015 season.
The hoodie rule, which will ban player hoodies from being worn under jerseys during games, will be instated in response to Green Bay Packers receiver James Jones popularizing the style, which often blocked the name on the back of his jersey.
• Johnny Manziel preparing to play football in 2016
The NFL will also officially ban assistant coaches from walking onto the field after Pittsburgh Steelers linebackers coach Joey Porter got into a verbal argument with Bengals players on the field during their 2015 wild-card game. Head coaches will be the only coaches allowed on the field, and only when checking on the condition of injured players.
The third change will apply to the coin toss, as there was not previously a rule instructing officials what to do if the coin does not flip over when it is tossed into the air. The rule will now require the referee to toss the coin again and apply the captain’s original call of heads or tails.
