Joe Mixon expresses frustration over the NFL’s failure to enforce hip-drop tackle ban
The hip-drop tackle was banned by the NFL and the NFLPA as it was deemed to put offensive players at a higher risk of being injured.
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Joe Mixon (via AP)
The NFL and the NFLPA collectively decided to ban the hip-drop tackle earlier this year after the technique put offensive players at a higher risk of being injured. Despite the ban, players are getting away with it and referees are not penalizing the defensive backs using the technique.
The latest instance of this is when Texans running back Joe Mixon was hip-drop tackled by Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards, which resulted in him sustaining an ankle injury. The illegal hip-drop tackle was overlooked by the referees which infuriated Mixon.
The running back took to social media to call the NFL and the NFLPA out for its failure to implement the ban.
The NFL and NFLPA made it a rule and an emphasis for a reason. Time to put your money where your mouth is.An infuriated Joe Mixon wrote
Joe Mixon calls out NFL/NFLPA on hip drop tackle ? pic.twitter.com/K4F16Nqp9O
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) September 16, 2024
The play occurred in the third quarter after C.J. Stroud threw a pass to Mixon who ran up the sideline before being brought down by Edwards using the swivel hip-drop tackle. The resultant ankle injury is the reason why the technique was banned.
The hip-drop tackle increases the odds of injury amongst players by 25%
Last season, after Mark Andrews sustained a season-ending injury due to the hip-drop tackle, the NFL seriously considered banning it. After multiple deliberations, the league concluded that moving forward, a defensive player who resorts to this technique will be flagged and the offense will be awarded a 15-yard penalty along with an automatic first-down.
After T.J. Edwards brought Mixon down, the running back got up immediately but had to limp to the sidelines. After the Texans’ medical staff treated him, he was able to get back into the game towards the end of the third quarter.
However, his contribution for the remainder of the game was next to nothing as he managed to have one carry for one yard.
An infuriated Mixon did not speak to the media and resorted to social media to express himself. He clarified that despite his bringing this up to the referees, they refuted his claim. “Where is the flag? That was a hip tackle,” Mixon told the referee who responded with, “No, it wasn’t.”
It was not the sole instance of the hip-drop tackle. Bengals wideout Ja’Marr Chase got into a back-and-forth with the referee after he believed the Chiefs’ defensive back resorted to a hip-drop tackle to bring him down.
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Sumedh Joshi
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