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SCFOA OFFICIATING EDUCATION SERIES

Rule 9: Conduct of Players and Others

Part 3 of 4 — Section 4b: Roughing the Passer, Kicker, and Snapper

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RULE 9 — PART 3 OF 4

What's in This Deck

Roughing the Passer

Running Into vs. Roughing the Kicker or Holder

Roughing the Snapper

Slap to the Head, and Unintentional Contact

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SECTION

Roughing

The Passer, Kicker, and Snapper

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SECTION 4 · ART. 4

Roughing the Passer

Defensive players must make a definite effort to avoid charging into a passer who has thrown the ball from in or behind the neutral zone, once it's clear the ball has been thrown.
No defensive player may commit any of the illegal personal contact fouls covered earlier against the passer.

Penalty

15 yards and an automatic first down from the dead-ball spot, when that spot is beyond the neutral zone, A has the ball, and there's been no change of possession
Otherwise, 15 yards and a first down from the previous spot
Exception: an incidental face mask foul doesn't carry the automatic first down

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SECTION 4 · ART. 5

Running Into vs. Roughing the Kicker or Holder

A defensive player shall neither run into the kicker/holder (displacing him without roughing), nor block, tackle, or charge into the kicker of a scrimmage kick or the place-kick holder — except when:

Contact is unavoidable because it wasn't reasonably certain a kick would be made.
The defense touches the kick near the kicker and contact is unavoidable.
Contact is slight and partially caused by the kicker's own movement.
Contact is caused by R being blocked into the kicker or holder by K.

Penalties

Running into: 5 yards from the previous spot
Roughing: 15 yards and an automatic first down from the previous spot

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SECTION 4 · ART. 6

Roughing the Snapper

A defensive player shall not charge directly into the snapper when the offensive team is in a scrimmage-kick formation.

Penalty

15 yards and an automatic first down from the previous spot

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SECTION 4 · ART. 7–8

Slap to the Head, and Unintentional Contact With Officials

No player may use the hand(s) to slap an opponent's head.
Unintentional contact between a nonplayer and a game official in the restricted area, while the ball is live, is separately addressed by rule.

Penalties

Slap to the head: 15 yards
Unintentional contact with an official (nonplayer foul): 15 yards from the succeeding spot on the first offense; 15 yards and disqualification of the head coach on the second offense

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CASE PLAY — 9.4.4 SITUATION A

Avoidable Contact vs. Contact From Beyond the Neutral Zone

THE PLAY

A1 rolls out on a run-pass option. (a) A1 passes from behind the neutral zone and is then contacted by B1, who could have avoided the contact but renewed his charge after the pass; or (b) A1 is 2 yards beyond the neutral zone when he passes, and B1 continues his charge and contacts him.

THE RULING

(a) It IS roughing the passer — B1 could have avoided the hit but chose to renew his charge anyway.

(b) It CANNOT be roughing the passer, since A1 threw from beyond the neutral zone and lost his passer protection the moment he did. That said, the contact could still be judged a personal foul on its own merits, even without the roughing-the-passer protection applying.

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CASE PLAY — 9.4.4 SITUATION B

Roughing Enforcement Follows the Play's Outcome

THE PLAY

From A's 40, passer A1 is roughed by B1, and the pass is completed: (a) to A2, downed on A's 47; (b) behind the neutral zone to A2, downed on A's 38; (c) behind the neutral zone to A2, who then fumbles at A's 35 and it goes directly out of bounds; or (d) to A2 at the A40, who fumbles at the A44 and it goes forward, out of bounds at the A49.

THE RULING

(a) The roughing penalty is enforced from the 47 — first down for A at B's 38.

(b) and (c): if accepted, enforcement is from the PREVIOUS spot — first down for A from B's 45.

(d) The roughing penalty is enforced from the END OF THE RUN, at A44, where possession was lost — not from where the fumble eventually went out of bounds.

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CASE PLAY — 9.4.4 SITUATION C

Any Illegal Contact on the Passer Is Roughing

THE PLAY

B1 is trying to tackle the passer when: (a) he lunges and commits illegal helmet contact by hitting the passer with his helmet; (b) he grasps the passer's face mask attempting to complete the tackle; or (c) as the ball is released, he grabs the passer by the inside back or side collar of the shoulder pads and brings him down. In all three, the pass is thrown toward A2.

THE RULING

All three are BOTH an illegal personal contact foul AND roughing the passer. The Referee must make sure Team A's designated representative knows all the penalty options, since roughing the passer also carries an automatic first down on top of the underlying foul.

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CASE PLAY — 9.4.5 SITUATION A

Contact Near a Partially Blocked Kick

THE PLAY

K1 punts, and R1 touches and partially blocks the kick. R2 never touches the ball, but firmly contacts K1.

THE RULING

If R1 partially blocked the kick near the kicker, and R2 was near the kicker with his charge already underway at the moment R1 touched the ball, there's no foul from R2's contact — unless it was unnecessarily rough. Touching the kicked ball is not, by itself, a license to charge the kicker; the touch has to happen NEAR the spot of the kick, and the defender can't stop and restart his charge, or change direction, after the touch.

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CASE PLAY — 9.4.5 SITUATION B

Uncertainty About Whether a Kick Will Happen

THE PLAY

K1, in scrimmage-kick formation, muffs the snap but quickly recovers and starts running. He then changes his mind and: (a) punts on the run, or (b) abruptly stops and punts. R1 can't stop his charge and forcibly contacts K1, without ever touching the kick.

THE RULING

No foul in either (a) or (b) — it wasn't reasonably certain K1 was going to kick the ball at all. It IS always roughing the kicker if the contact could have been avoided, regardless of how apparent a kick seemed — the "unavoidable" exception only covers genuinely unavoidable contact when a kick wasn't reasonably certain.

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CASE PLAY — 9.4.5 SITUATION C

A Blocker's Redirect Causes the Contact

THE PLAY

R1, trying to block a place kick, charges through blocker K1 and, without touching the ball, charges into the kicker/holder.

THE RULING

The covering official must judge whether R1's charge would have reached the kicker/holder anyway, regardless of K1's block. Only if K1's block actually ALTERED R1's path — and that redirect is what caused the contact — is R1's contact ignored and not a foul.

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CASE PLAY — 9.4.5 — D, E

Contact After the Kick Is Already Away

THE PLAY

(D) K11 is in scrimmage-kick formation. After the kick is away, R10 can't stop his attempt to block it and displaces the kicker/holder.

(E) K10, the place-kick holder, is contacted forcibly by R9, clearly after the kick is already away.

THE RULING

(D) The Referee judges this as running into the kicker/holder — 5 yards from the previous spot, and a replay of the down, if accepted.

(E) This is roughing the kicker/holder — a personal foul, carrying 15 yards and an automatic first down, if accepted. Same basic fact pattern as (D), but the severity of the contact is what separates a 5-yard running-into foul from a 15-yard personal foul.

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9.4.5 SITUATION F

Contact Severity Determines the Penalty

Contact by R2	Ruling
(a) Brushes K11, who keeps his balance	No penalty.
(b) Bumps K11, causing him to fall backward	Running into the kicker/holder — 5-yard penalty, replay the down.
(c) Runs over K11, knocking him down	Roughing the kicker/holder — personal foul, 15-yard penalty and an automatic first down.

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CASE PLAY — 9.4.5 SITUATION G

A Kicker Who Never Becomes a Kicker

THE PLAY

A11 is in scrimmage-kick formation. After taking the snap and attempting to kick, he misjudges the distance and misses the ball entirely. B1 contacts him before he can regain his balance, and B2 recovers the loose ball.

THE RULING

Unless B1's contact is viewed as unnecessary roughness, there's no foul — A11 never actually became a kicker, since his foot never made contact with the ball. Kicker protection only attaches once contact with the ball actually happens.

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CASE PLAY — 9.4.6 SITUATION A

A Direct Charge vs. a Simultaneous Gap Charge

THE PLAY

From a scrimmage-kick formation, A1 snaps to up-back A2 (3 yards behind the line, offset 1 yard from the snapper). A2 runs for a 10-yard gain. Immediately after the snap starts, B7 charges: (a) directly into the snapper; or (b) into the gap between the snapper and the adjacent A player, making simultaneous contact with both. The snapper never had a chance to defend himself and was displaced by B7's charge.

THE RULING

(a) B7 has roughed the snapper — if accepted, a 15-yard penalty from the previous spot plus an automatic first down. There's no requirement that the ball actually be kicked, or that a deep back receive the snap, for this protection to apply.

(b) No foul. The snapper's protection doesn't extend to simultaneous contact that also involves another A player — it doesn't take away B's right to the "center-guard gap." The prohibition is specifically for a DIRECT charge into the snapper himself.

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CASE PLAY — 9.4.6 — B, C

Snapper Protection Applies Broadly

THE PLAY

(B) K is in scrimmage-kick formation, fourth and 17 from its own 20. Immediately after the snap, R1 charges directly into snapper A1. The kick is caught by R2 and downed on the 40.

(C) A is in scrimmage-kick formation with punter A2 twelve yards deep and four yards to the right of the snapper. A strong wind will probably move the ball to the right after the snap. Is the snapper still protected?

THE RULING

(B) R1 has roughed the snapper. In addition to the yardage, the penalty includes an automatic first down. After enforcement, it's K's ball, first and 10, from its own 35.

(C) Yes — the snapper is still protected, because the punter remains in position to receive the snap. The offset positioning and the wind don't change that.

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CASE PLAY — 9.4.6 SITUATION D

What Actually Counts as a Scrimmage-Kick Formation

THE PLAY

A1 lines up in shotgun (5 yards behind the neutral zone) in position to take the snap, and A4 lines up at wingback, 7 yards behind the neutral zone. Is this a scrimmage-kick formation?

THE RULING

No. On fourth down, A1 would need to be 10 yards or more behind the neutral zone (or otherwise meet the specific scrimmage-kick formation criteria) for this to qualify. Without that, there's no scrimmage-kick formation — and without it, there's no special snapper protection either.

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CASE PLAY — 9.4.7 — A, C

Slapping the Helmet to Avoid a Block

THE PLAY

(A) Wide receiver A9 goes downfield 10 yards and starts to block B10. B10 slaps A9 on the side of the helmet trying to avoid the block.

(C) Third and five from B's 40. On the snap: (a) B1 slaps offensive guard A1 on the helmet, or (b) A4 slaps the defensive end on the helmet. The quarterback then hands off to A2, who's tackled at B's 20.

THE RULING

(A) Illegal personal contact — a 15-yard penalty from the basic spot, plus disqualification if judged flagrant.

(C) In both (a) and (b), this is illegal personal contact — the prohibition on slapping an opponent's head applies to BOTH offense and defense equally.

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CASE PLAY — 9.4.7 SITUATION B

An Open-Hand Slap vs. a Closed Fist

THE PLAY

Trying to tackle the quarterback, B1: (a) contacts offensive blocker A1 with an open hand on the head, or (b) strikes A1 with a closed fist.

THE RULING

(a) 15-yard penalty from the end of the run — an open-hand slap to the head.

(b) B1 is disqualified for FIGHTING. The exact same target (a blocker's head, during a rush at the quarterback) draws a completely different consequence depending on whether the hand was open or closed.

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CASE PLAY — 9.4.8 SITUATION A

Who's Actually in the Restricted Area?

THE PLAY

Third and five for A on B's 30 when B1 intercepts at B's 15 and returns it along A's sideline, downed on A's 40. During the run, the head line judge unintentionally runs into: (a) a cameraman between the restraining line and sideline at B's 20; (b) A's assistant coach in the restricted area at B's 45; or (c) A's head coach on the field of play at the 50.

THE RULING

(a) No foul — but the game administrator must keep that area between the field and restraining line clear of unauthorized personnel going forward.

(b) and (c): A's head coach is assessed a 15-yard nonplayer, illegal-personal-contact penalty at the succeeding spot. A second such offense would disqualify the head coach.

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CASE PLAY — 9.4.8 SITUATION B

Two Separate Nonplayer Fouls on One Play

THE PLAY

A1's pass is intercepted by B1 at B's 30 and returned 70 yards along the sideline for a touchdown. During the return, the covering official has to detour around an assistant B coach standing in B's restricted area, and drops his flag near there. Later in the same return, nonplayer B12 leaves the team box and runs alongside B1 (out of bounds) all the way to the goal line, without ever entering the field of play. The Referee flags B12 too.

THE RULING

Team B has committed TWO separate nonplayer fouls on this single play, and they can't be combined into one multiple foul. The assistant coach violated the restricted-area rule; B12 violated the team-box rule. The coach's foul results in a sideline warning. B12's foul is a 5-yard sideline-interference foul, which the offended team may enforce on the try or the subsequent kickoff.

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CASE PLAY — 9.4.8 — C, D

Escalating Warnings, and Enforcement Order

THE PLAY

(C) In the first period, Team A's assistant coach accidentally collides with the line judge covering a play, and Team A is penalized 15 yards for illegal personal contact by a nonplayer. In the second period, the back judge observes an assistant in the restricted area during a different play.

(D) A1 is illegally in motion at the snap. The play goes to the sideline, where one of B's coaches makes unintentional contact with a game official.

THE RULING

(C) This second incident is only the FIRST warning for the separate restricted-area violation — no yardage penalty this time. The illegal-personal-contact foul from the first period and this restricted-area violation are tracked independently; they don't combine or escalate each other.

(D) Both fouls get penalized — first the live-ball foul for A's illegal motion, then the 15 yards for the official contact in the restricted area. The official-contact foul is treated as a nonplayer, dead-ball foul, even though the contact itself happened while the ball was live.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

Rule 9, Part 3 — Recap

A passer loses his special protection the instant he throws from beyond the neutral zone — but contact on him can still be a personal foul on its own merits, just not specifically "roughing the passer."

Roughing-the-passer enforcement follows the play: it can land at the catch spot, the previous spot, or the end of a subsequent run, depending entirely on what happened to the ball after the pass.

The kicker/holder exceptions all share one theme: contact is excused only when it's genuinely UNAVOIDABLE — uncertain kick, ball touched right at the kicker, slight contact from the kicker's own movement, or a block that redirected the defender's own path.

Snapper protection is specifically about a DIRECT charge into the snapper himself — simultaneous contact that also involves a nearby teammate doesn't violate it, and the protection disappears entirely if the formation doesn't actually qualify as a scrimmage-kick formation.

The same slap to the head can be a 15-yard personal foul (open hand) or a fighting disqualification (closed fist) — the target and situation are identical, but the technique changes the consequence entirely.

Multiple nonplayer fouls on the same play don't combine into a multiple foul — each one is tracked and enforced on its own, and warnings/penalties escalate independently by foul type, not cumulatively across different rule violations.