When the NFL created the new rules outlawing players initiating contact with the helmet, they did it with player safety in mind.

Not every player is interested in their protection.

Falcons running back Devonta Freeman shrugged off the new rules, anticipating he’ll get flagged multiple times for lowering his head, and accepting the risk of the style. He acknowledged the rule was probably a good idea, but it’s clearly not enough to change the way he plays.

“It’s going to be one of those things it’s hard to do something about,” Freeman said, via Steve Hummer of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “You know Devonta Freeman. You know how Devonta Freeman runs. You know how Devonta Freeman practices. You know my mindset. . . .

“There’s only so much you can do about football and tackling and defenders and running the ball. I got to play low, that’s my advantage. That’s what makes me different, what makes me successful at what I do. Being low and having low center of gravity, that’s how I play. . . .That’s the NFL rule, not my rule.”

Freeman was apparently smiling as he said this, but it’s no laughing matter for the league, which is facing criticism from players on both sides of the ball. And Freeman’s defiance only underscores the problems the league is going to have administering a new rule which was created with the best intentions.