Vikings' Sendejo endorses 'Make Football Violent Again' hat
Minnesota Vikings safety Andrew Sendejo seemingly has a response to the NFL's new helmet rule.
During a training camp practice Friday, Sendejo donned a hat with the phrase "Make Football Violent Again."
Andrew Sendejo possibly sending a message to the NFL with his hat. Said he has been wearing for a while but that it still applies. #VikingsCamp pic.twitter.com/Q1aYwURvZx
— Tanner Peterson (@24tanner) August 3, 2018
"It fits good and it's black and I like it," Sendejo said, according to ESPN's Courtney Cronin. "It's got a good message."
Sendejo said the hat was a gift from a former Vikings teammate and he had been wearing it prior to the implementation of the new helmet rule, but the message "applies more now."
Under the new rule, it's a penalty if a player "lowers his helmet to establish a linear body posture prior to initiating and making contact with the helmet." Sendejo is doing his best to work around it.
Made helmet alterations so I’m always “leading with the facemask”. Simplifying calls for league office and playing within new @NFL rule changes.
— Andrew Sendejo (@Asendejo) August 3, 2018
Next. pic.twitter.com/xYeaWYllPr
The rule was already a topic of debate during Thursday's Hall of Fame Game, with a number of flags thrown against both the Baltimore Ravens and Chicago Bears.
Sendejo, a nine-year veteran, was suspended one game in 2017 after a hit on Mike Wallace sent the receiver into the concussion protocol.