No Padding? No Complaint The Wall Street Journal ($) ran an article the other day detailing how NFL players are wearing less padding than at any point since the early days of the game. The reasons? Aesthetics, quickness, peer pressure and wanting to "look tough."

In 1995, the NFL changed hip, thigh and knee pads from "mandatory" to "recommended" equipment because so many players were stripping down that the earlier rule was considered unenforceable. A few NFL teams require players to wear thigh and knee pads but even on those teams, "there are transgressors," says Ronnie Barnes, vice president for medical services for the New York Giants. Hip, thigh and knee pads are required in high-school and college games.



"Speed, man," says Rams safety Antuan Edwards. "The game is so fast, you want to be as light as possible." Mr. Edwards ditched leg pads when he entered the NFL five years ago. "You feel a difference," he says. "At least you want to think you feel a difference."



Showing off muscular, padless legs encased in spandex doesn't hurt, either. "It does look good, doesn't it?" says Mr. Edwards, smiling.

One hopes that this does not lead to more debilitating injuries for players, although the article suggests that the smaller shoulder pads used today may have driven up the number of rotator cuff injuries. If injuries do increase, could the NFL face liability for not adequately warning its players of the dangers of less padding? I don't think so, because these athletes are adults and the dangers are apparent. But the NFL would be wise to pad itself and make players sign mandatory forms acknowledging the dangers inherent with not wearing the suggested padding. This will "pad" the league in the event of any future lawsuit.

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