Chiefs Coach Hits Back After Donald Trump Calls NFL 'Boring': 'He Doesn't Even Know What He's Looking At'

President Donald Trump attacked the NFL kickoff rule at a midterm rally in Dubuque, Iowa, on Sunday, 1 November 2026.

Calling football 'boring as hell', Trump recalled a sharp rebuke from Kansas City Chiefs assistant head coach Dave Toub nearly a year earlier.

Trump spoke at the Five Flags Event Center while campaigning for US Representative Ashley Hinson, Iowa's Republican Senate candidate.

With voters heading to the polls on 3 November, he broke from campaign matters to complain about football's opening play.

'Who the hell wants to watch football? It's boring as hell!' Trump said, according to a transcript of the rally. He complained that players stand still as the ball travels and dismissed the redesigned kickoff as 'unglamorous'.

Trump called for a return to the traditional arrangement, when the coverage team could run downfield as the ball was kicked. He urged Iowa, Iowa State and other colleges not to copy the NFL.

He said he starts watching games about two minutes after kickoff to avoid it. 'I can't watch,' he told the crowd. 'I don't want to watch the kickoff. I think it's so disparaging.'

What Dave Toub Said About Donald Trump's Kickoff Criticism

Toub's rebuke came on 20 November 2025, after Trump criticised the rule during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. Toub, the Chiefs' assistant head coach and special teams coordinator, questioned the president's understanding of the changes.

'He doesn't even know what he's looking at,' Toub told reporters. 'He has no idea what's going on with the kickoff rule.'

Why the NFL Kickoff Rule Remains a Dispute for Donald Trump

Under the NFL's dynamic kickoff, the kicker lines up at his team's 35-yard line. The other 10 kicking-team players stand at the receiving team's 40, opposite players in a designated setup zone.

Up to two returners can position themselves deeper, near the landing zone between the goal line and the 20. Movement is restricted until the ball reaches specified areas or is touched, subject to the rule's exceptions.

The intention is to reduce the long run-ups that once produced high-speed collisions while encouraging more returns. NFL owners approved a trial in 2024 and made the format permanent in April 2025.

That decision also moved certain touchbacks from the 30-yard line to the 35. The league has since adjusted other details, with the current provisions set out in its 2026 rulebook.

The NFL reported that the proportion of kickoffs returned rose from 21.8 per cent in 2023 to 32.8 per cent in 2024. It separately reported a 57 per cent increase in the number of returns during 2024, not a 57-percentage-point rise.

In 2025, the return rate climbed to approximately 74.5 per cent, and the league counted 1,157 more returned kickoffs than in 2024. The figures underpin its argument that the redesigned play produces more action.

Safety results require a closer look. The NFL reported a 43 per cent decline in the concussion rate on kickoffs in 2024 against its 2021–2023 average.

Yet kickoff concussions rose from eight in 2024 to 35 in 2025 as returns increased. The league said the rate nevertheless remained below that recorded under the previous format.

Supporters also disagree about what is worth watching. A Quinnipiac University poll published in October 2025 found 42 per cent of NFL fans preferred the dynamic kickoff. Another 37 per cent favoured the previous format, while 19 per cent offered no opinion.