Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones (95) greets President Donald Trump before playing against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX at Ceasars Superdome.

The NFL's new-look kickoff, which began in 2024, can largely be measured as a success. Return rates are up significantly, adding excitement to a play that had become largely routine and insignificant, while injuries were also reduced.

President Donald Trump still isn't a fan of the change.

The President of the United States took to Truth Social, the social networking site that he launched in 2022, to lament the change, one year and two weeks after the new kickoff made its NFL debut.

"The NFL has to get rid of that ridiculous looking new Kickoff Rule," he wrote Monday morning. "How can they make such a big and sweeping change so easily and quickly. It’s at least as dangerous as the 'normal' kickoff, and looks like hell. The ball is moving, and the players are not, the exact opposite of what football is all about.

"'Sissy' football is bad for America, and bad for the NFL! Who comes up with these ridiculous ideas? It’s like wanting to 'roll back' the golf ball so it doesn’t go (nearly!) as far. Fortunately, college football will remain the same, hopefully forever!!"

What is the new kickoff rule?

The NFL made its big kickoff rule change ahead of the 2024 season, with 29 of 32 NFL owners voting to implement the "dynamic kickoff."

The rule change features new alignment guidelines for the kicking and returning teams, creates a "landing zone" for the kicker to aim for between the end zone and the opposite 20-yard line, and moves where the ball is spotted after a touchback from the 25-yard line up to the 30-yard line.

The players that aren't the kicker or two returners now line up between five and 10 yards away from each other between the return team's 30- and 40-yard lines.

Kicked balls that don't end up in the landing zone are treated as a kickoff out of bounds penalty, and the return team begins its ensuing possession on its own 40.

The league's aim was to increase the rate of returned kickoffs, which dropped to an all-time low of 21.8% in 2023, while decreasing the rate of injuries on the play.

In 2024, teams and players returned kickoffs at a 32.8% clip, an 11-point increase from 2023.

During the most recent offseason, NFL team owners made the new kickoff rule permanent with an additional tweak: the ball would be spotted at the 35-yard line after touchbacks to further discourage balls kicked past the landing zone.

Through Week 1 of this season, kickoffs saw a surge in returns to 75.6%, the highest rate in any week since 2010.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Donald Trump attacks NFL's new kickoff rule, 'sissy football' in Truth Social post

Reporting by Jack McKessy, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect