Sometimes, coaches see a runner’s head jerk to the side and yell for a facemask flag. It’s important to understand the facemask foul rule, as not all contact to a player’s helmet is illegal.
Rule 9-4-3h addresses illegal personal contact resulting in a facemask foul.
Equipment: An opponent’s face mask, any edge of a helmet opening, chin strap, or a tooth and mouth protector attached to the face mask.
Action: Grasp and twist, turn or pull (personal foul, 15-yard penalty). Incidentally grasp (5-yard penalty).
Notice the word “grasp” is included in the penalty description. Touching the face mask is not a foul. For example, the defender reaches toward the runner, and his hand contacts the runner’s facemask, causing the runner’s head to turn.
Grabbing or wrapping the arms around the helmet is not a foul. The opponent must grasp the edge of a helmet opening for it to be a foul.
Rarely, an opponent will be guilty of a flagrant foul (Rule 2-16-2c), a foul so severe or extreme that it places an opponent in danger of serious injury. I’ve yet to observe such a foul. I’ve witnessed a tackler grasp the opponent’s facemask while moving in the opposite direction as the runner; the runner’s feet left the ground, and he spun around. We maybe should have huddled to discuss if the foul was flagrant. We’d have to determine the defender purposefully held on and spun the runner by the facemask (not likely, but possible). If the officials determine a facemask foul is flagrant, it will result in immediate disqualification.
Quiz
Read the quiz stem and then choose the best answer(s). (Choose all that apply.)
3/5 from the A-40. A14 throws a pass to the left. At the A-43, A16 jumps and bats the ball backward to A77, who lined up as a slot receiver in the backfield. A77 catches the ball at the A-39 and advances to the B-40.
- 1/10 for Team A at the B-40
- Illegal formation; A77 cannot line up in the backfield
- Illegal batting
- Illegal touching
- Enforce the foul from the previous spot
- Enforce the foul from the spot of the foul
- Loss of down
Review Rules 7-5-13, 9-7-3, 10-1-6, 10-4-2