Melissa Jerrard

The NFL has spent years trying to make football safer without making football feel less like football. That is a difficult line to walk when the product itself is built around controlled violence. The league's latest attempt puts even more responsibility on the players. Under a new system agreed upon by the NFL and NFL Players association, players who commit three violations across five emphasized health and safety categories in a season will receive a one-game suspension.

For decades, sports operated on an unofficial bargain: if you helped the team win, there was a lot of management that was willing to forgive. Star players got longer leashes. Successful coaches became nearly untouchable. Programs with championship banners could dismiss uncomfortable questions as distractions. That bargain is starting to look increasingly expensive.

NFL teams love to talk about family. Players are encouraged to trust their teammates, buy into the culture and believe they are part of something bigger than themselves. Coaches talk about brotherhood. Organizations talk about building communities. The language is designed to make a locker room feel less like a workplace and more like a home. Then roster-cut week arrives.