Ivy League football saw large reduction in concussions after new kickoff rules
The rate of concussions per 1,000 kickoff plays fell from 11 to two.
A simple rule change in Ivy League football games has led to a significant drop in concussions, a study released this week found.
After the Ivy League changed its kickoff rules in 2016, adjusting the kickoff and touchback lines by just 5 yards, the rate of concussions per 1,000 kickoff plays fell to two from 11, according to the study, which was published Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
“We see really compelling evidence that, indeed, introducing the experimental kickoff rule seems to be associated with a large reduction in concussions,” said Douglas Wiebe, the lead author of the study and the director of the Penn Injury Science Center at the University of Pennsylvania.
In 2015, kickoffs during Ivy League games accounted for 6 percent of all plays, but 21 percent of concussions, the study said. So Ivy League football coaches decided to change the rules to encourage kicks into the end zone.
Under the new system, teams kicked off from the 40-yard line, instead of the 35, and touchbacks started from the 20-yard line, rather than the 25.
The result? A spike in the number of touchbacks — and “a dramatic reduction in the rate of concussions,” Wiebe said.
The study looked at the rate of concussions over three seasons before the rule change (2013 to 2015) and two seasons after it (2016 to 2017). Researchers saw a larger reduction in concussions during kickoffs after the rule change than they did with other types of plays, like scrimmages and punts, which saw only a slight decline.
The NCAA as a whole has also taken action to target kickoffs. For example, a new rule this season allows receiving teams to wave for a fair catch anywhere inside the 25-yard line and have it result in a touchback.
In a statement Monday, the NCAA said that it had an early look at Ivy League concussion data before approving its new rule.
The NFL has also made changes to kickoff rules and saw a reduction in concussions after it moved its kickoff line from the 30-yard line to the 35 before the 2011 season, according to the league’s own figures.
It also implemented a new rule this year that requires players to line up near the kickoff line, rather than allow them to make a running start.
