This week, the NFL announced a controversial rule change to its kickoff returns. The new rule now allows the receiving team to call a fair catch on any kickoff and automatically advance the ball to the 25-yard line as a touchback. But one prominent kickoff return man has no intention of ever using that rule.
Naturally, this new rule will lead to a decrease in the number of players opting to return a kickoff and an increase in teams simply taking the free yardage by way of a fair catch. But Dallas Cowboys kickoff return man KaVontae Turpin had a pretty brutally honest response to the rule change, revealing that he will not be calling fair catch on kickoffs this year.
“I don’t care because I’m not fair catching nothing. I’m being real with you — nothing,” Turpin said on the rule change according to Patrik Walker of the Dallas Cowboys official team website.
I asked KaVontae Turpin for his stance on the new fair catch rule for 2023 and if he feels the #NFL is moving toward eliminating kickoff returns altogether:
"I don't care because I'm not fair catching nothing. I'm being real with you — nothing." #Cowboys
— Patrik [No C] Walker (@VoiceOfTheStar) May 25, 2023
These are certainly bold words, and Turpin will have a chance to prove them this upcoming season. However, it’s worth noting that this decision won’t be completely up to him as there’s obviously a chance his coach simply demands that he calls a fair catch anyway.
In any case, it will be interesting to see how this rule change affects the game.
