But Dempsey would counter that by saying he was merely doing the best he could to use the foot with which he was born, and for the most part, NFL officials, including then-Commissioner Pete Rozelle, agreed. Still, in 1977, the NFL passed what is widely known as the "The Dempsey Rule," mandating that shoes worn by players with "an artificial limb on his kicking leg must have a kicking surface that conforms to that of a normal kicking shoe."