Former NFL punter-turned-media-mogul Pat McAfee knows a thing or two about special teams, and he "hates" plans by the league to dramatically change kick-off return rules.
Kick-off rules have gradually changed over the years to improve safety, but the NFL competition committee is eager to implement new regulations with proposals to allow kick returners to call a fair catch and have the ball placed at the 25-yard line, which would reduce the incentive to attempt a return.
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports a vote on the new rule will take place at the league's spring meetings in Minneapolis on Tuesday. While the competition committee is in favour, special teams coordinators are unanimously against the changes – which could remove elements of strategy from the game.
McAfee, who took kick-offs during eight seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, believes the proposed changes would be bad for the game.
"It's the most amateur, bush league-looking bulls*** I have seen in a long time when it comes to the NFL," he said on The Pat McAfee Show. "I know there is a strike zone that was put into football so there couldn't be any more head-hunting shots. I understand they changed some rules so kick-offs can't have as many people back so there isn't as big of a run-up so we can save people's brains.
"A lot of people said 'This isn't football anymore'. It still is, there are still big shots, there is still entertainment, there's still speed, there is still everything good.
"This particular rule is absolute garbage. You watch a college football game and they don't have the same kick-off rules as the NFL. People are fair-catching it at the 15-yard line and they are getting the ball at the 25 immediately because of that fair catch.
"This is disgusting. This is not what football is. You think about the kick-off, it's one of the greatest things in football. It starts the game, obviously, but it's 11 vs 11 with one ball, 'Let's go, let's try to get as much as possible, let's try to make incredible plays'.
"Them thinking about putting this bulls*** in is alarming and I guess it's just the competition committee that's in on it. Nobody at the NFL level who has been around professional football or professional humans in special teams who have jobs because of kick-off coverage and kick-off returns and the strategy that can play into the whole thing wants this rule, so I hate it."
Under the current rules, a fair catch sees the ball placed at the exact spot at which it is caught.
Since retiring in 2016, McAfee has enjoyed a meteoric rise in the media world, with more than 2.2 million subscribers on his YouTube channel, which is home to his hugely popular daily sports talk show.
Last week, the 36-year-old announced his $120million (£96.4m) four-year agreement with FanDuel had been cut short and he signed a huge deal with ESPN to broadcast his show on ESPN and ESPN+ starting later this year.
