Another one I hated was the halo rule and, even though that's gone, there's still "allow to catch" rules that are often subjectively called in the same way.
I mean, if only there were some mechanism by which a kick returner that didn't want to get blasted by the opposing team's players, could somehow signal to them that he'd like a fair opportunity to catch the ball. In return he'd be giving up the chance to return it but if those defenders are already barreling down on him, it sure would be really great for there to be some method-- perhaps a hand signal or something-- which would let them know he'd like a fair chance at catching. If only such a thing existed, it would be really great.