NFL Players Oppose Move to Mandatory Pads
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By DERON SNYDER
Considering the speed and violence of NFL football and the size and strength of players, it’s amazing that many participants eschew certain pads. You might think that players would protect their bodies through every available means. But that’s not the case, particularly at the so-called skill positions like halfback, wide receiver and defensive back.
Look at the San Francisco 49ers’ Frank Gore, among the league’s top runners. His knees are totally exposed during games, not even covered by his pants. If he wears any thigh pads at all, they must be paper-thin. The NFL doesn’t like that and did something about it Tuesday, when team owners approved a rule change that makes knee and thigh pads mandatory, beginning in the 2013 season.
Players across the country immediately spoke out in protest.
“Personally, I won’t be wearing them,” Oakland Raiders cornerback Ron Bartell told the Contra Costa Times. “So I’d better put some fine money away. It takes away from the speed of the game. Hip pads, knee pads, thigh pads. They’re not going to stop you from tearing an ACL. It may stop a couple of soft-tissue injuries, but a knee pad isn’t going to stop a guy from blowing out a knee.”
