The Facts:
NFL players will be required to wear knee and thigh pads starting in the 2013 season, after the league's owners voted on the rule change today.
Reported by Profootballtalk.com
Fantasy Football Diehards Line:
In announcing the vote, Competition Committee chairman Rich McKay said union input is still needed, according to Daniel Kaplan of SportsBusiness Journal. Some players have complained that leg pads slow them down, and the owners agreed to drop a proposal to require hip pads as well out of respect for those players' opinions. Now the league has the next year to discuss the specifications of the mandatory knee and thigh pads with the union, as many players will surely want to wear the smallest, thinnest, lightest pads they're allowed. Meanwhile, we'll go ahead and note the players' ongoing reluctance to accept actual changes in their best interest makes it difficult to take their claims the league isn't concerned about player safety when things like long-term effect of concussions and adding to the schedule come up. That's not to say the league is truly more concerned, but it certainly gives them a chance to remind us all the players tend to drag their feet when safety-related changes come up.
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