NFL alters video board rules to stop kicker optical illusions

New Rules for Stadium Screens

The NFL has updated its rules on what teams can show on stadium video screens during field goals and extra points. The league sent a memo to all clubs on September 7 to announce the change. This decision comes after a social media post went viral, showing how teams could use the screens to distract opposing kickers.

Previously, the league required video boards to show either a static image or an All 22 camera view during kicks. The new rule states that teams must use the exact same All 22 angle or static image for both the home and visiting kicking teams. The NFL wants to make sure there is fair competition, and teams have been warned they will face discipline if they break this rule.

The Optical Illusion

The rule change was sparked by Ryan Paganetti, a former analytics coach who worked for the Philadelphia Eagles, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Las Vegas Raiders. On September 1, Paganetti posted his findings on X, and the post quickly gained nearly 17 million views.

Paganetti studied ten years of New England Patriots home broadcasts from 2000 to 2023, when Bill Belichick was the head coach. He noticed that when opponents prepared to kick, the big screen showed a reverse All 22 view. This view created a second set of offset goalposts on the screen, which could create an optical illusion for the kicker. When the Patriots kicked, this reverse view was never shown in any of the 52 kicks Paganetti analyzed.

The NFL confirmed that the Patriots and other teams experimenting with their screens were operating within the rules at the time. However, the new rule will now ban this practice completely.