Dolphins' Hayes tears ACL while trying to avoid flag on sack
It's probably fair to say that William Hayes isn't a fan of the NFL's new roughing the passer penalty, which prevents defensive players from putting their body weight on quarterbacks.
The Miami Dolphins defensive end tore his ACL on Sunday against the Oakland Raiders while sacking quarterback Derek Carr, and will miss the remainder of the season.
"He was trying to not put body weight on the quarterback," Dolphins head coach Adam Gase told reporters Monday, via ESPN's Cameron Wolfe. "His foot got caught in the ground."
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Hayes appeared to ease up on his final step while sacking Carr, as he attempted to roll over the quarterback instead of landing on him.
When asked whether he believes the rule change led directly to Hayes' injury, Gase said, "I'm just telling you what happened ... I'm just telling you what he did."
Multiple players responded to the injury news, adding further animosity towards the controversial rule.
They don’t care about the rest of us getting hurt. Long as the QB is safe https://t.co/ihjlz3lVQl
— Richard Sherman (@RSherman_25) September 24, 2018
Akeem Spence: Let’s keep it honest. That rule is a terrible rule. He was trying to protect the quarterback. What do you want a guy to do? (Body weight rule) #MiamiDolphins
— Joe Schad (@schadjoe) September 24, 2018