Over the past couple of years the National Football League has implemented rules in attempt to shrink the number of head injuries suffered during contact practices or in games. However, it became very apparent to fans during the first game of the 2016-2017 season that the rules aren’t being practiced like they should be.

The defending Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos hosted the Carolina Panthers on Thursday, Sep. 8. During the course of the game, the Panthers quarterback Cam Newton was speared in the head by multiple Broncos defenders. The NFL rulebook states that a hit to the head or a hit on a defenseless receiver is worthy of a 15 yard penalty and an automatic first down. Out of the three times Newton was hit in the head, the Panthers didn’t receive a single penalty yard. There was one flag thrown in the final drive of the game, but it was negated due to an intentional grounding call. Newton, in attempt to protect himself from a 214 pound giant running towards him at full speed, threw the ball and didn’t get it back to the line of scrimmage. Both of the flags offset and the referees decided to act like Newton wasn’t slammed in the head. Carolina lost the game in the final drive at the foot of Graham Gano when he missed 50-yard field goal with the clock winding down.

The story of the game became the new Broncos quarterback filling Peyton Manning’s shoes, but the story should have been the game the referees blew.Looking to appease the outraged fans and players, the NFL fined Brandon Marshall and Darian Stewart for their ruthless hits to Newton. But if the NFL was really serious about reducing the number of head injuries, they should have trained their referees on the rules a little better.

New to this new football season, there are neurotrauma consultants on the sidelines and in the box who have the power to stop the game when a player appears to have concussion-like symptoms. Players are forced to sit out of the game for at least one play when one of the consultants feels the need to evaluate the player. However, players who have more than one unnecessary roughness penalties are allowed to remain in the game. If the NFL was serious enough to hire new personnel, why are not they serious enough to train their referees to call these plays or punish players who consistently deliver blows to the head?

If a player is hit in the head their team should receive 15 yards and a first down, regardless or not if there was another penalty to negate it. Defensive players who hit someone twice in the head should be ejected from the game if not suspended. A $12,000 fine doesn’t make a dent in a player’s wallet when they make millions of dollars a year. There needs to be a more serious punishment. In order for the NFL to continue being America’s most popular sport, they need to do better training and follow the rules they created so players aren’t writhing in pain on the field and so fans don’t turn the channel.