1 of 33

SCFOA OFFICIATING EDUCATION SERIES

Rule 9: Conduct of Players and Others

Part 2 of 4 — Section 4a: Fighting and Illegal Personal Contact

2 of 33

RULE 9 — PART 2 OF 4

What's in This Deck

Fighting and Contacting Officials

General Illegal Personal Contact

Face Mask Fouls

Illegal Helmet Contact

Horse-Collar and Targeting

Blindside Blocks and Defenseless Receivers

3 of 33

SECTION

Illegal Personal Contact

Fighting, Helmet Contact, Horse-Collar, and More

4 of 33

SECTION 4 · ART. 1–2

Fighting and Contacting Officials

No player or nonplayer shall fight.
No player or nonplayer shall intentionally contact a game official.

Penalty

Fighting, or intentionally contacting an official: 15 yards and disqualification
If a coach is the offender for contacting an official, disqualification follows the coach-specific procedure in Section 8

5 of 33

SECTION 4 · ART. 3 (GENERAL)

General Illegal Personal Contact

No player or nonplayer shall:

Swing the foot, shin, or knee into an opponent, or extend the knee to meet a blocker.
Charge into or throw an opponent to the ground after he's obviously out of the play, or after the ball is clearly dead.
Pile on any player lying on the ground.
Hurdle an opponent.
Position himself on the shoulders or body of a teammate or opponent to gain an advantage.
Throw a helmet to trip an opponent.
Make any other contact with an opponent — including a defenseless player — that's unnecessary, excessive, or incites roughness.

Penalty

15 yards, and disqualification if judged flagrant

6 of 33

SECTION 4 · ART. 3h

Face Mask Fouls

No player or nonplayer shall grasp an opponent's face mask, any edge of a helmet opening, chin strap, or an attached tooth and mouth protector, and twist, turn, or pull it.

Incidentally grasping the face mask, helmet opening, chin strap, or mouth protector is a separate, lesser violation.

Penalties

Incidental grasp: 5 yards
Grasping AND twisting/turning/pulling: 15 yards

7 of 33

SECTION 4 · ART. 3i–j

Illegal Helmet Contact

No player or nonplayer shall initiate illegal helmet contact — butt blocking, face tackling, or spearing.
This includes illegal helmet contact against:

An opponent lying on the ground.
An opponent being held up by other players.
A defenseless opponent, helmet-to-helmet.

Penalty

15 yards, and disqualification if judged flagrant

8 of 33

SECTION 4 · ART. 3k, m

Horse-Collar, and Targeting

Horse-collar — grabbing the inside back or side collar (or the name plate area directly below the back collar) of the shoulder pads or jersey of the RUNNER, and pulling him backward or sideward to the ground — even if he loses possession in the process.

The horse-collar foul is enforced as a live-ball foul.

Targeting — taking aim and initiating contact against an opponent, as covered in Rule 2's definition.

Penalties

Horse-collar: 15 yards
Targeting: 15 yards
Both carry disqualification if judged flagrant

9 of 33

SECTION 4 · ART. 3n–p

Blindside Blocks, Tripping, and Defenseless Receivers

A blindside block executed outside the free-blocking zone with forceful contact, unless initiated with open hands, may be judged flagrant.
Tripping an opponent is prohibited.
Initiating forceful contact against a defenseless receiver that is NOT incidental contact while playing the ball, NOT initiated with open hands, and NOT an attempt to tackle by wrapping the arms, is a foul.

Penalties

Illegal blindside block: 15 yards
Illegal tripping: 15 yards
Both carry disqualification if judged flagrant

10 of 33

CASE PLAY — 9.4.1 SITUATION A

A Fight With No Clear First Blow

THE PLAY

With the ball on B's 2, and between downs, a fight starts between A1 and B1. Officials don't know which player struck first.

THE RULING

Disqualify BOTH A1 and B1, and signal personal fouls against each team — but the penalties cancel. When officials can't determine who started it, both participants are still disqualified; only the yardage penalty offsets.

11 of 33

CASE PLAY — 9.4.1 SITUATION B

Retaliation After a Legal Tackle

THE PLAY

A's ball, third and 1, on A's 10. B1 delivers a hard, legal tackle on A1 at the line. A1, feeling it was unjustly harsh, jumps up and attacks B1 with his fists. B1 responds with a profanity directed at A1.

THE RULING

A1's dead-ball personal foul and B1's unsportsmanlike conduct foul cancel each other out. A1 is disqualified for fighting. B1 stays in the game, UNLESS officials judge his reaction was flagrant, or it's his second unsportsmanlike foul. Result: A's ball, fourth and 1, on its own 10.

12 of 33

CASE PLAY — 9.4.1 — C, D

Fighting vs. an Accident, and a Nonplayer Foul

THE PLAY

(C) While tackling runner A1, B1 delivers a blow toward the ball trying to dislodge it, but instead strikes A1 with his fist.

(D) After completing a catch, receiver A12's momentum carries him into B's team box, where nonplayer B44 pushes A12 into a bench.

THE RULING

(C) B1 is charged with a personal foul AND disqualified for fighting — a 15-yard penalty. Officials must distinguish a genuinely accidental strike while going for the ball from a clear act of fighting; if judged excessive but not fighting, it's still an ejection for striking, just not officially "fighting" by rule.

(D) Nonplayer B44 is disqualified, and a 15-yard penalty is assessed from the succeeding spot.

13 of 33

CASE PLAY — 9.4.3 SITUATION A

A Flagrant Foul on an Out-of-Play Opponent

THE PLAY

As A1 advances for a touchdown from B's 10, B1 commits a block with open hands against A2 — obviously out of the play at B's 15. The covering official rules the contact not just unnecessarily rough, but flagrant.

THE RULING

The penalty may be enforced from the succeeding spot or the succeeding kickoff, and A's touchdown stands. B1 is disqualified because the foul was judged flagrant — officials must stay alert for flagrant fouls and apply the disqualification portion of the penalty when warranted.

14 of 33

CASE PLAY — 9.4.3 SITUATION B

Spearing a Receiver Near the Sideline

THE PLAY

Wide receiver A1 goes 15 yards downfield, cuts sharply outside, stops near the sideline, and catches the pass. B1 drives the crown of his helmet into A1.

THE RULING

This is spearing by B1. Face tackling, butt blocking, and spearing are related but distinct fouls, each carrying a 15-yard penalty: butt blocking is front-of-helmet contact against a non-runner (any player); face tackling is the same act against the RUNNER (defense only); spearing is crown-of-helmet contact at the shoulders or below (any player). All three can also result from inadvertent acts — illegal helmet use is condemned regardless of intent.

15 of 33

CASE PLAY — 9.4.3 SITUATION C

Contact After Clearly Being Out of the Play

THE PLAY

Quarterback A1 has: (a) handed off to A2 and is walking away watching the play, or (b) thrown a legal forward pass and is moving away after the catch. In both, B1 tackles A1.

THE RULING

Illegal personal contact by B1 in both. It's a foul to charge into or throw an opponent to the ground once he's obviously out of the play. The 15-yard penalty is enforced from the basic spot. If judged flagrant, B1 must be disqualified.

16 of 33

CASE PLAY — 9.4.3 SITUATION D

Spearing vs. Just Trying to Gain Yardage

THE PLAY

Runner A1 breaks free beyond the neutral zone. (a) As B1 and B2 close in to tackle him, A1 veers into B1 and deliberately drives the crown of his helmet into B1's chest; or (b) as B1 and B2 try to bring him down, A1 lowers his head and drives forward for yardage, contacting B1 and/or B2 with his helmet.

THE RULING

(a) Spearing by A1 — 15 yards, and disqualification if judged flagrant. He used his helmet to punish an opponent.

(b) Lowering the head to fight for extra yardage is NOT illegal on its own — unless it's done to punish an opponent, or rises to spearing, butt blocking, or targeting. A runner's natural instinct to fight for yardage doesn't automatically become a foul; the helmet-contact rules apply equally to every player, including the runner, but only when the act crosses into abuse rather than effort.

17 of 33

CASE PLAY — 9.4.3 — E, F

Illegally Gaining an Advantage, and Contact When Clearly Out of Play

THE PLAY

(E) (a) End A1 stops 5 yards downfield, and wide receiver A2 jumps on his back to catch a pass; (b) B1 steps on snapper A1's back immediately after the snap to propel himself into the air to block a punt; or (c) B1 jumps on B2's shoulders to block a field goal.

(F) During a pass play, it's obvious A1 won't catch the pass because (a) it's incomplete, hitting the ground, or (b) it's well overthrown but in A1's general area. In both, B1 aggressively contacts A1 once it's obvious the pass won't be caught.

THE RULING

(E) Personal foul in all three — (a), (b), (c). Using a teammate's or opponent's body as a launching platform is always an illegally gained advantage.

(F) (a) Since this happens AFTER the incomplete pass, it's a dead-ball foul, penalized 15 yards from the succeeding spot. (b) Since the pass was still in flight, it's pass interference despite being obviously overthrown — 15 yards from the previous spot. Had a teammate of A1 touched the pass first, B1's contact would instead be a personal foul, since A1 was obviously out of the play by then.

18 of 33

CASE PLAY — 9.4.3 SITUATION G

An Inadvertent Grasp That Nullifies a Touchdown

THE PLAY

Second and 5 from B's 30. A1 passes to eligible A2, who inadvertently grasps B1's face mask/helmet opening at B's 15 as B1 tries to tackle him — A2 goes on to score.

THE RULING

If B accepts the penalty for A2's inadvertent grasp, the score is nullified. Following enforcement, it's A's ball, first and 10, at B's 20 — even an unintentional grasp by the offense can wipe out a touchdown if the defense chooses to accept the penalty.

19 of 33

CASE PLAY — 9.4.3 SITUATION H

Grasp, Brush, or Pull — Three Different Penalties

THE PLAY

B1 tackles A1 by: (a) grasping A1's face mask/helmet opening momentarily and letting go; (b) his hand merely brushing across A1's face mask; or (c) pulling A1 to the ground by grasping the face mask.

THE RULING

(a) 5-yard penalty — an incidental grasp. (b) No penalty at all — a brush isn't a grasp. (c) 15-yard penalty — grasping and pulling to the ground is the more serious version of the same foul.

20 of 33

CASE PLAY — 9.4.3 — I, J

Turning the Head vs. an Incidental Grasp

THE PLAY

(I) As B1 tackles A1, he either (a) grasps A1's face mask and turns his head, or (b) grasps it and immediately releases without twisting, turning, or pulling.

(J) As B5 tackles A6, he has his hand on the helmet but never gets his fingers into the face mask or inside the helmet.

THE RULING

(I) (a) is a personal foul — 15 yards from the end of the run. (b) is only the lesser incidental face mask foul — 5 yards from the end of the run.

(J) No foul at all — B5 never actually grasped the face mask or helmet opening in the first place.

21 of 33

CASE PLAY — 9.4.3 SITUATION K

A Face Mask Foul Behind the Neutral Zone

THE PLAY

First and 10 from A's 5. A1 drops back into his own end zone, where he's tackled by the face mask and fumbles. The ball rolls out of bounds at A's 3.

THE RULING

This fumble is a loose-ball play behind the neutral zone, so the foul is enforced from the PREVIOUS spot. After enforcement, it's A's ball, first and 10, at A's 20.

22 of 33

CASE PLAY — 9.4.3 SITUATION L

Face Tackling in the Open Field

THE PLAY

During a running play, A1 breaks into the secondary. Safety B1 comes up quickly and drives his face mask or helmet directly into A1's chest, simultaneously wrapping his arms around him to bring him down.

THE RULING

This is a face-tackling foul by B1. Wrapping the arms to make the tackle doesn't excuse the illegal helmet contact that happened at the same time — the two aren't mutually exclusive.

23 of 33

CASE PLAY — 9.4.3 SITUATION M

Horse-Collar — Four Ways It Can End

THE PLAY

A1 is running in the open field. B1 grabs A1's shoulder pad opening from behind and: (a) pulls him down abruptly; (b) pulls him down to the ground from the side; (c) rides him for several yards before pulling him backward to the ground; or (d) rides him for several yards before A1 falls FORWARD.

THE RULING

Illegal horse-collar in (a), (b), and (c). Legal in (d) — the distinguishing factor is how the runner actually goes down. If B1's pull backward or sideward is what brings him down, it's a foul; if the runner ends up falling forward on his own momentum, the horse-collar grip alone doesn't create a foul.

24 of 33

CASE PLAY — 9.4.3 SITUATION N

Does the Runner Actually Go Down From It?

THE PLAY

A1 is running in the open field. B1 grabs his shoulder pad opening from behind and pulls, and: (a) A1 doesn't go down from the contact; (b) B2 comes in and tackles A1 while he's still in B1's grasp; or (c) A1 runs four more yards before being pulled down.

THE RULING

(a) and (b) are legal. (c) IS an illegal horse-collar foul — because the runner eventually went down as a result of that same grip, even several yards later. The foul isn't erased just because the takedown was delayed.

25 of 33

CASE PLAY — 9.4.3 SITUATION O

Horse-Collar Inside the Free-Blocking Zone

THE PLAY

A1 is running in the free-blocking zone. (a) B1 grabs A1's jersey collar opening from behind and pulls him down; (b) B1 grabs the FRONT of A1's jersey collar opening and pulls him down; or (c) B1 grabs A1's jersey at the top of the shoulder area and pulls him down.

THE RULING

(a) is an illegal horse-collar foul. (b) and (c) are both legal — the horse-collar rule specifically targets grabbing the BACK or side collar opening (or the name plate area). Grabbing the front of the collar, or the top of the shoulder, doesn't meet that definition, even with the same pull-down result.

26 of 33

CASE PLAY — 9.4.3 SITUATION P

Horse-Collar Regardless of the Outcome

THE PLAY

A1 is carrying the ball when B1 grabs him by the back or side collar of the shoulder pads (or jersey), or the name plate area just below the back collar. A1 then: (a) fumbles and is subsequently brought down by B1; (b) crosses the goal line to score and is THEN brought down by B1; or (c) crosses the sideline and is then brought down by B1.

THE RULING

A horse-collar foul should be called in ALL THREE — (a), (b), and (c). It doesn't matter that A1 already fumbled, already scored, or already went out of bounds before B1 completed the takedown — the illegal grip and pull is what triggers the foul, independent of what else happened on the play.

27 of 33

CASE PLAY — 9.4.3 — Q, R

Where a Horse-Collar Foul Is Enforced

THE PLAY

(Q) A has the ball, third and 10 from the A10. A25 is in the open field when B1 uses an illegal horse-collar to bring him down: (a) at the 50, after being grabbed at the A45; (b) at the A25, after being grabbed at the A30 but having retreated on his own to the A25; or (c) on B's 4, where A25 drags B1 into B's end zone.

(R) A has the ball, fourth and 8 from the B40. A1 advances 7 yards, where B1 commits an illegal horse-collar. The jersey is grabbed one yard inbounds, and B1 pulls him down (a) inbounds at the B33, or (b) just out of bounds as A1 crosses the sideline at the B33.

THE RULING

(Q) These are all running plays, so the foul is enforced from the END OF THE RUN. (a) enforced from the 50: first and 10 for A at B35. (b) enforced from the A25: first and 10 for A at A40. (c) the touchdown scores, and A chooses to enforce on the try or the subsequent kickoff.

(R) In both (a) and (b), the penalty is enforced from the end of the run as a live-ball foul, and A gets a new series: first and 10 for A at the B18 — it doesn't matter that the second scenario ended just out of bounds; the horse-collar foul itself drives the live-ball enforcement.

28 of 33

CASE PLAY — 9.4.3 — S, T

Contacting a Player Whose Helmet Has Come Off

THE PLAY

(S) A1 is engaged with B1 in close line play. A1's helmet comes completely off as the play goes elsewhere — not due to any foul. As he's putting it back on, B2 hits him from the side, knocking him down.

(T) B54's helmet comes completely off while tackling A32. A32 drags B54 for a few yards, and A76 — trying to keep A32 from being tackled — blocks B54.

THE RULING

(S) B2 has committed a personal foul for contacting a player whose helmet is completely off. Since A1's helmet came off through no fault of B's, and not due to a foul, A1 must still sit out the next play regardless.

(T) A76 has committed illegal personal contact by blocking the helmetless B54 — a personal foul. B54 must also leave the field for at least one play.

29 of 33

CASE PLAY — 9.4.3 SITUATION U

Continuing to Play Without a Helmet

THE PLAY

B54's helmet comes completely off while tackling A32. After disengaging, B54 puts his helmet back on and resumes chasing A32. B54 is then blocked by A76.

THE RULING

B54 has committed ILLEGAL PARTICIPATION by continuing to play after his helmet came completely off, rather than leaving the field immediately. A76 has not fouled — he had no way to know B54 should have already been off the field. B54 must still leave for at least one play.

30 of 33

CASE PLAY — 9.4.3 SITUATION V

Targeting a Player Not Even Involved in the Play

THE PLAY

Defensive back B1 sees receiver A1 running a crossing route while A2 runs the under route. As they near each other, B1 takes aim at A1 and: (a) makes contact above the shoulders with his shoulder pads; (b) makes contact above the shoulders with his helmet; (c) misses A1 but hits A2 above the shoulders with his shoulder pads; or (d) misses A1 but hits A2 above the shoulders with his helmet.

THE RULING

(a) and (c): targeting foul. (b) and (d): BOTH targeting AND illegal helmet contact — both fouls should be reported and enforced. Critically, (c) and (d) show that targeting protection isn't limited to the receiver a defender is actually aiming at — a player merely nearby, uninvolved in that specific matchup, is still protected from above-the-shoulders contact.

31 of 33

CASE PLAY — 9.4.3 — W, X

Blindside Blocks — Zone, Hands, and Proximity

THE PLAY

(W) A1 has the ball in the backfield, running parallel to the line, with B1 trailing to make a tackle. A2 executes a blindside block against B1, with forcible (but not otherwise excessive) contact, using: (a) open hands, or (b) forearms and shoulders — while (c) inside the free-blocking zone, or (d) outside it.

(X) R1 is running downfield on a punt return when R2 executes a blindside block against K1: (a) in the immediate vicinity of R1, or (b) five yards behind R1.

THE RULING

(W) (a) is legal REGARDLESS of location — open-hand blindside blocks are always fine. (b) is legal only if executed inside the free-blocking zone (c); it's illegal if executed outside it (d).

(X) In (a), officials must judge whether the contact is forcible and, if so, whether it was made with open hands and wasn't excessive. In (b), the same open-hands and non-excessive requirements apply regardless of distance from the ball — proximity to the play doesn't change the standard.

32 of 33

CASE PLAY — 9.4.3 SITUATION Y

Forceful Contact Against a Defenseless Receiver

THE PLAY

Third and 10 at B's 45. B1 sees A1 running a crossing route at B's 35. As A1 tries to catch the pass, B1 initiates forceful contact that is NOT incidental contact while playing the ball, NOT initiated with open hands, and NOT an attempt to tackle by wrapping his arms. (a) The pass is incomplete, or (b) A1 catches it and is tackled at B's 30.

THE RULING

(a) The personal foul is enforced from the PREVIOUS spot. (b) The personal foul is enforced from the END OF THE RUN. Same foul, but the enforcement spot depends entirely on whether the play turned into a live-ball run afterward.

33 of 33

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Rule 9, Part 2 — Recap

Fighting requires disqualification even when officials can't determine who threw the first blow — both participants sit, and only the yardage penalties offset.

Butt blocking, face tackling, and spearing are three distinct fouls defined by WHO can commit them and WHERE contact lands — face tackling is defense-only against the runner; the other two apply to anyone, anywhere on the body (butt blocking) or at the shoulders and below (spearing).

A horse-collar foul is about the GRIP location (back/side collar or the name plate area) and whether that grip is what brings the runner down — not about the ultimate outcome of the play, which can be a fumble, a touchdown, or going out of bounds and still count as a foul.

Once a player's helmet comes completely off through no foul of the opponent, HE must leave the field for a play — but an opponent who then contacts or blocks him commits a separate, real foul of his own.

Targeting protection isn't limited to whichever receiver a defender is actually aiming at — a nearby player who gets hit above the shoulders instead is still covered.

The same underlying contact can be enforced from completely different spots — the previous spot, the end of a run, the succeeding spot, or even the succeeding kickoff — depending entirely on when in the down the foul actually happened.