The NFL needed 24 teams to approve the league’s proposal to radically change the kickoff. The rule changed with five votes to spare.
The final vote was 29-3 in favor of the rule change, with only the 49ers, Raiders and Packers voting against it, according to Albert Breer.
That represents more support than was believed to be in the room, especially after word emerged yesterday that a straw vote showed the rule change to be a few votes short of the 24 it needed to pass.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and other league officials strongly supported the new rule, which is designed to increase the number of returns and decrease the number of injuries on kickoffs, and it’s safe to assume the league may have twisted a few arms to line up enough votes for the rule to pass.
It’s one of the most radical changes we’ve seen to NFL rules, and it’s a change that most, but not all, of the league supported.
