While the controversy only brews over the Clay Matthews penalties for hitting a quarterback after recent NFL rules changes, another player has had his season end because he attempted to follow those rules.
ESPN's Cameron Wolfe says that Miami Dolphins defensive lineman William Hayes attempted to avoid putting his full body weight on a quarterback he was sacking.
Dolphins DL William Hayes tore his ACL, he’s out for the season. Big loss. It happened when he tried not to put his body weight on Derek Carr while sacking him and got his foot caught in the ground.
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) September 24, 2018
The fact that the multi-time Pro Bowl linebacker for the Packers put his body weight on Washington quarterback Alex Smith led to a 15-yard penalty that extended a drive during the Packers' loss Sunday.
Matthews complained that that the NFL is getting "soft" with its rules, but now this is the first time that the rule - developed in the wake of the very late hit by Anthony Barr of the Minnesota Vikings that put Aaron Rodgers out for the 2017 season - has ended the season of a defensive player trying to follow the rules.
