Above is a 15-minute video featuring NFL Vice President of Officiating Carl Johnson reviewing the rules regarding both legal and illegal hits on defenseless players.

The categories of illegal hits demonstrated in the video are:

• Players in the act of or just after throwing a pass
• Receivers catching or attempting to catch a pass
• Runners in the grasp of a tackler whose forward progress has been stopped
• A kickoff or punt returner who is attempting to field a kick in the air
• A player on the ground at the end of a play
• Receivers who have completed a catch but have not had time to protect themselves. Defensive players are prohibited from launching, which is springing forward and upward, in a way that causes the defensive player’s helmet, facemask, shoulder or forearm to hit this defenseless player in the head or neck area.

Examples of legal hits on defenseless players begins at the 10:37 mark of the video.

The NFL takes a proactive approach in addressing player health and safety. On Jan. 11, the league launched www.NFLHealthandSafety.com, which provides information on the partnerships, programs and initiatives the NFL supports to protect the health of current and former NFL players.

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