Patriots special teams ace Matthew Slater accuses NFL of hypocrisy on new kickoff rule

Multiple NFL coaches haven't been in favor of the league's new kickoff rule, and one special teams standout says the league's reasoning behind the rule change is hypocritical.

New England Patriots wide receiver Matthew Slater, who has been selected to the Pro Bowl 10 times in 15 years for his special teams work, told reporters Wednesday he understands new kickoff rule, where any fair catch will be placed at the 25-yard line, is meant to improve player safety. However, Slater is "just not convinced that our league is always going to do what's in the best interest of our players."

"I understand that we want to reduce head injuries and things of that nature. But we don't always act as if player health and safety is paramount," Slater said.

Slater cited other issues players and coaches have raised, including the new "Thursday Night Football" flex options, players "having to jump through hoops" trying to obtain health care after retiring from the NFL and the debate between grass and turf fields.

The NFL has said the concussion rate on kickoffs will drop 15% with the new rule, and the number of kickoffs returned is projected to drop from 38% to 31%. Slater believes the NFL is moving toward eradicating the kickoff entirely.

"They say that they're making the play safer. But the reality is, they haven't done a single thing to make the play safer," Slater said. "They haven't changed the rules, they haven't changed the techniques. There's still going to be collisions that occur if the ball is not fair caught."

Slater isn't the only one not in favor the new rule. Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid expressed concern by saying the game could turn into "playing flag football." Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell called the league's decision "highly frustrating."

Contributing: Victoria Hernandez

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Patriots' Matthew Slater rips NFL for new kickoff fair-catch rule