Coming off a week in which multiple players were forced from the field as a result of violent hits, the NFL is set to lay down a whole new set of rules that will levy significant punishments for “devastating hits” and “head shots” on defenseless players.

According to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, the league is expected to announce the new rules by Wednesday of this week at the latest, with implementation scheduled to take place immediately. An exact definition as to what constitutes a “devastating hit” has not yet been released, but the early indications are that the NFL will take a very subjective approach after the fact when determining the penalty for violations.

Ray Anderson, the NFL’s vice president of football operations, offered up several comments with regard to the new rules, trying to explain the mindset behind implementing them now and not at the end of the season.

“We can’t and won’t tolerate what we saw Sunday,” Anderson said Monday. “We’ve got to get the message to players that these devastating hits and head shots will be met with a very necessary higher standard of accountability. We have to dispel the notion that you get one free pass in these egregious or flagrant shots.”

“What we saw Sunday was disturbing,” Anderson said. “We’re talking about avoiding life-altering impacts.”

From sports.espn.go.com (share this quote)

The NFL has had policies in place for some time now to crack down on helmet-to-helmet hits, with the majority of players receiving fines as a result. With the new rules, even first time offenders will be subject to suspensions, forcing players to adjust or face the consequences.

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