Donald Trump found time on Veterans Day to call in to an ESPN talk show and complain about an NFL rule designed to reduce the number of sporting injuries.
“I hate the kickoff in football. I think it’s so terrible, I think it’s so demeaning. I think it hurts the game and hurts the pageantry,” Trump told the Pat McAfee show Tuesday.
“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.”
Often referred to as the “dynamic kickoff,” the NFL’s new kickoff rule – introduced in 2024 – is designed to reduce the dangerous high-speed collisions often associated with kickoff returns.
It requires that the defensive team start on the offensive team’s 40-yard line, closer than previously, when the ball is kicked and must wait until the ball is caught or touches the ground to advance.
“The ball is in the air and nobody is moving. It’s supposed to be when the ball is in the air, when the ball is played, you’re supposed to be moving,” Trump continued. “The pageantry of the game is so badly hurt. The NFL, they do what they want to do.
“I don’t think they’ll change. I hope college football doesn’t change, because the power of the kickoff was so beautiful.”
Trump, who has attended multiple high-profile games, including the 2025 Super Bowl, has often criticized the NFL and changes to the game. His remarks on Tuesday echoed a post on Truth Social in September in which he also criticized the new kickoff.
“It’s at least as dangerous as the ‘normal’ kickoff, and looks like hell. The ball is moving, and the players are not, the exact opposite of what football is all about,” the president wrote. “‘Sissy’ football is bad for America, and bad for the NFL! Who comes up with these ridiculous ideas?
“It’s like wanting to “roll back” the golf ball so it doesn’t go (nearly!) as far.”
On Sunday, Trump was booed as he attended the NFL game between the Detroit Lions and the Washington Commanders, a team he has also criticized previously for changing their name. The appearance marked the first time a sitting president has attended a regular-season NFL game in almost 50 years.
Trump also blasted the NFL’s decision to book Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny to perform the halftime show next year, telling Newsmax in October that the choice was “absolutely ridiculous.”
“I don’t know who he is. I don’t know why they’re doing it — it’s, like, crazy,” Trump. “They blame it on some promoter they hired to pick up entertainment. I think it’s absolutely ridiculous.”
