Donald Tr𝚞mp and Tyreek Hill (Photo Via Imagn Images)

Kansas City Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub responded to President Donald Tr𝚞mp’s criticism of the NFL’s new kickoff rule, and Tyreek Hill was enjoying all these. The back-and-forth has added more reason to the already heated debate about the league’s revised kickoff format.

Tr𝚞mp has spoken out against the rule since it passed last season. During an interview on The Pat McAfee Show on ESPN, he called it “terrible” and said, “I think it’s so terrible, I think it’s so demeaning, and I think it hurts the game. It hurts the pageantry.”

He also told viewers he doesn’t believe it makes football safer, he mentioned, “I’ve told that to (NFL Commissioner) Roger Goodell, and I don’t think it’s any safer. I mean, you still have guys crashing into each other.”

Toub disagreed and responded during a press conference. “He doesn’t even know what he’s looking at,” Toub said. “He has no idea what’s going on with the kickoff rule. Take that for what it’s worth. And I hope he hears it.”

Tyreek Hill, who once played for Toub and won a Super Bowl with him, loved the comment. When the clip went viral, Hill posted online: “F***ing animal I love it.”

Tr𝚞mp’s Debate Over Kickoff Safety Grows

Dave Toub during the press conference (Photo Via X)
The NFL introduced the new “dynamic” kickoff in 2024 to reduce dangerous collisions and bring back more returns. With this setup, the kicking team starts at the opponent’s 40-yard line and can’t move until the ball hits the ground or a player catches it in the landing zone, which covers the area from the goal line to the 20. If the ball lands there, the returner has to run it back.

Tr𝚞mp kept pushing his arg𝚞ment on Truth Social, writing “I HATE WATCHING THE NFL’S NEW KICK OFF RULE” and saying it “takes the pageantry and glamour away from the game.” He said the league should “change back to what it used to be.”

Statistics have made the scene even more confusing. According to The Athletic, concussion rates in the first seven weeks of the season increased to 1.18 per 100 kickoffs, much higher than last year’s 0.09. For kick returns only, the n𝚞mber j𝚞mped from 0.29 last year to 1.48 this year. However, those n𝚞mbers don’t show how the new rule compares to seasons before 2023.

The NFL shared different n𝚞mbers earlier in the year. Their data showed concussions on kickoffs dropped 43% when compared to seasons from 2021 to 2023.

Tyreek Hill, who is out for the season with a knee injury, still pays close attention to the league. His quick response to Toub’s comments showed how intense and personal the kickoff rule debate has become.