There has been talk that the rules around targeting will be reviewed before the 2026 season, and it is time for the rules around targeting to be reviewed but for big changes around the targeting rules to actually be implemented. Of course, player safety is of the upmost importance when it comes to targeting but often the consequences around a targeting call often has too much of an effect on the game itself. A penalty that if often a referee's judgement call more so than a black and white call has to be looked at.
If there is a review and the original targeting call is upheld, I am fine with the 15-yard penalty being enforced. However, there is no need to eject a player for the rest of said game unless it is a very egregious hit that is obviously a dirty hit.
A 15-yard penalty is more than enough for a judgement call and this has to be addressed and changed. If the rules committee feels like a player should be ejected maybe after a second one in the same game, then I am ok with that player being booted from said game.
i doubt we are going get away from a player being ejected after the targeting call being upheld after the referee review, but it has to only be for that game. A player ejected for targeting in the second half of a game should not have to miss the first half of the next game as well.
It is tough enough for a team to possibly lose a star or an impact player during the game they are playing in then and there is no reason for it be continued into the first half of next week's game. Hopefully some sensibility will come about when it comes to how targeting penalties are enforced which hopefully will also include less lengthy reviews if an automatic ejection is not automatically enforced.