In the NFL’s quest to make football safer, they’ve inadvertently created a $5,472 game of “Tackle Twister.” Just ask Chicago Bears defensive tackle Chris Williams. He’s been left scratching his head after being fined for a move that even the zebras on the field couldn’t spot.

ProFootballTalk dropped the bombshell on X. The NFL fined Chris Williams for a hip-drop tackle on Jacksonville Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence during their Week 6 London spectacle. The twist? This phantom tackle slipped past the eagle-eyed officials, commentators, and nearly everyone watching live. It’s as if Goodell and his crew are playing “Where’s Waldo?” with dangerous tackles.

This contentious technique, banned by Goodell and unanimously approved by team owners in March 2024, occurs “when a defender wraps up a ball carrier and rotates or swivels his hips, unweighting himself and dropping onto the ball carrier’s legs during the tackle.” The NFL’s executive Jeff Miller highlighted its dangers, noting that 15 players were benched last season due to such tackles. But if a hip-drop falls in the forest and no referee sees it, does it make a sound?

Here’s where the NFL’s rulebook starts to read like a mystery novel. As of mid-October 2024, according to NFL Media, not a single yellow flag has fluttered onto the field for a hip-drop tackle. Yet, seven players have found their wallets mysteriously lighter. It’s like getting a speeding ticket two weeks after your road trip, leaving you wondering, “Was I even driving that day?”

This gulf between on-field calls and post-game punishments has the football world in a dizzy. They feel like they’re watching a magic show where the trick is revealed only after everyone’s gone home. Bears head coach Matt Eberflus, back in November 2023, proudly declared his team a “low tackling group.” Little did he know “low” would apply more to his players’ bank balances than their tackling technique.

Roger Goodell’s hip-drop headache

Williams’ fine isn’t a solo act in this bizarre NFL theater. It’s part of a growing trend. The defensive players feel like they’re tip-toeing through a landmine field wearing clown shoes. Earlier in the 2024 season, the league slapped Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards with a hefty $16,883 fine for a similar tackle. That put Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon on a three-game vacation.

Troy Vincent, the NFL’s executive vice president and Goodell’s right-hand man in this tackling tango, dropped a statistical bomb. Approximately 22 questionable tackles have occurred this season. Yet, mysteriously, none ticked all four boxes for a penalty.  It’s like trying to win a game of four-dimensional chess with rules written in invisible ink.

This enforcement vacuum isn’t just creating a black hole in players’ bank accounts. It’s potentially undermining the very player safety that Goodell and his team claim to champion. Mixon, now an unwitting poster boy for hip-drop tackle victims, raised a valid point after his injury. If these tackles fly under the radar during games, how can players recalibrate their techniques to dodge future incidents – and fines?

The NFL Players Association warned that this rule would “confuse” everyone from the sidelines to the stands. Defensive players now feel like they’re playing a game of “Tackle Russian Roulette.” And offensive players remain at risk. This clarifies that Goodell and his team need to align their rulebook with on-field reality. Until then, players like Chris Williams will keep making tackles with one eye on the QB, and one on their wallet. And a prayer that they don’t upset the NFL’s phantom foul detector.