Expand / Collapse search
Watch TV
Menu

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2024 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper.

Sports

NFL approves raising goal posts by five feet

By Sports Network
Published | Updated

Orlando, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - One day after approving a rule to allow referees to consult with the officiating department at league headquarters in New York during replay review, the league came to a decision on the rest of the rules proposals on the docket.

The biggest rule change made on Wednesday at the NFL's owners meetings dealt with extending the uprights.

The goal posts will now be five feet higher on each side, making it easier to tell whether or not a kick has gone through. That proposal was submitted by the New England Patriots.

Another rule change allows video reviews on plays with a recovery of a loose ball on the field even though the play had been whistled dead.

Also adopted was a proposal to no longer stop the clock on sacks outside of two minutes.

The owners rejected the Redskins' proposal to move the kickoff to the 40-yard line.

The Patriots' proposal to move the extra point back to the 25-yard line failed, but the league will experiment with a new extra-point system during the preseason. Extra points in the first two weeks of the preseason will be snapped from the 20-yard line.

Another failed proposal dealt with allowing an unlimited number of players on injured reserve to return to the active roster.

Multiple proposals to expand plays that can be reviewed were shot down.

NFL head of officials Dean Blandino said on Tuesday's "Dan Patrick Show" that dunking the ball over the crossbar to celebrate a touchdown is now banned.

Atlanta Falcons president Rich McKay, chairman of the competition committee, said Wednesday that some stadiums are unable to correct goal posts that move because of players dunking on them, creating a problem for kickers.

Other celebrations, like Green Bay's "Lambeau Leap" where a player jumps into the stands, were previously grandfathered in.

"We said the 'Lambeau Leap' was OK and you can do it because it was a traditional thing. I don't think we ever contemplated that the goal post would ever be thrown off kilter in games and there would be a 20-minute delay of the game as they try to right them," said McKay.

"When you add five feet to the top and make them even heavier, I think we were concerned about how it would impact a game from a competitive standpoint. That's why the rule modification took place."