NFL Reportedly Will Alter Suspensions, Ejections for Illegal Hits Without Vote

A proposal from the NFL's competition committee to eject or suspend players for specific illegal hits will reportedly go into place without an owners vote, Mark Maske of the Washington Post reported Tuesday.

Maske noted "only the most egregious illegal hits would produce ejections or suspensions." He added the competition committee would present four or five types of hits to the owners because "committee members felt that fines handed out by the league were not serving as a sufficient deterrent in such cases." 

His sources also said this proposal would be a "point of emphasis for officials."

Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk pointed out referees can already "eject players for flagrantly illegal hits" but noted that rarely occurs in today's game. That is in contrast to college football rules, as officials automatically eject players who are penalized for targeting opponents' heads.

NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations Troy Vincent addressed this change on Twitter:

Maske wrote the team owners plan on making all rule-change votes Tuesday. A proposal to shorten overtime from 15 to 10 minutes in the preseason and regular season is one decision on the slate.