Penalty (gridiron football)
In gridiron football, a penalty is a sanction called against a team for a violation of the rules, called a foul. Officials initially signal penalties by tossing a bright yellow or orange colored penalty flag onto the field toward or at the spot of a foul. Many penalties result in moving the football toward the offending team's end zone, usually either 5, 10, or 15 yards, depending on the penalty. Most penalties against the defensive team also result in giving the offense an automatic first down, while a few penalties against the offensive team cause them to automatically lose a down. In some cases, depending on the spot of the foul, the ball is moved half the distance to the goal line rather than the usual number of yards, or the defense scores an automatic safety.
Rationale
Because football is a high-contact sport requiring a balance between offense and defense, many rules exist that regulate equality, safety, contact, and actions of players on each team. It is very difficult to always avoid violating these rules without giving up too much of an advantage. Thus, an elaborate system of fouls and penalties has been developed to "let the punishment fit the crime" and maintain a balance between following the rules and keeping a good flow of the game. Players and coaches are constantly looking for ways to find an advantage that stretches the limitations imposed by the rules. For example, in 2016 the Baltimore Ravens had all of their offensive linemen commit holding penalties in order to allow the punter to keep possession of the ball so time would expire for a win, since the game can end on offensive penalties. However, the NFL changed the rules after this to prevent teams from manipulating the game clock. The frequency and severity of fouls can make a large difference in the outcome of a game as well, so coaches are constantly looking for ways to minimize the number and severity of infractions committed by their players.It is a common misconception that the term "penalty" is used to refer both to an infraction and the penal consequence of that infraction. A foul is a rule infraction for which a penalty is assessed.
Signaling and announcing penalties
s initially signal fouls by tossing a brightly colored flag onto the field toward or at the spot of the foul. Because of this, broadcasters and fans often use the terms "flag" or "flag on the play" to refer to fouls during the game.During a play, multiple officials may flag the same foul, and multiple flags may be thrown for separate fouls on the same play. If applicable, the same official can signal additional fouls on a given play by throwing a beanbag or their cap. When officials throw a flag during a down, play does not stop until the ball becomes dead under normal conditions, as if there were no fouls.
Once the ball is dead, or immediately when a foul is called after a play is over or prior to a snap, the referee, the officials who threw the flags and other officials with a view of the play confer on whether an infraction was actually committed, what it was, and who committed it. The final determination and assessment of the penalty is the sole responsibility of the referee. The referee then makes initial body signals to the press box indicating what fouls were committed and the team that committed them, the latter shown by extending the arm toward that team's end zone.
The referee then confers with the offended team's on-field captain to find out whether the offended team would rather decline the penalty and take the result of the play. The result of the play may be more advantageous to the offended team, especially, for example, if time is running out in the half and a 7-yard gain is a better option than a 5-yard penalty. However, the referee may not have to confer with the team captain because the choice is fairly obvious. After any final conference, the referee then makes full visual signals describing the foul in detail, consisting of: the foul that was committed, the team that committed it, whether or not the opposing team chooses to decline it, the resulting down or possession, and any other penalties such as disqualification of a player from the game or a ten-second runoff from the game clock. In college football, the NFL and other professional leagues, and in some high school games, the referee also announces the fouls and their penalties over the stadium's public address system using a wireless microphone. In college and professional football, and high school in some states, the referee will also give out the numbers of the players who committed the fouls. During these announcements, the referee usually does not use names of the respective teams or their cities, but rather will use the generic terms "offense", "defense", "kicking team", "receiving team", etc. Some officials, especially in high school and lower levels, will refer to teams by their jersey color.
General types of penalty enforcement
The following are general types of penalty enforcement. Specific rules will vary depending on the league, conference, and/or level of football.Most penalties result in replaying the down and moving the ball toward the offending team's end zone. The distance is usually either 5, 10, or 15 yards depending on the penalty. However, such penalties, when enforced, are capped at half the distance to the offending team's goal line.
Depending on the foul, the spot where the penalty is enforced may be at the spot of the foul; the previous spot ; the spot of the snap, fumble or backwards pass; or the succeeding spot.
Some defensive penalties give the offense an automatic first down. Conversely, some offensive penalties result in loss of a down. The offensive team receives a first down if a penalty by the defense awards them enough yardage to attain it.
Rules are asymmetrical in regard to whether a team can score directly as a result of a penalty. The offensive team cannot do so; if a foul that is penalized from the spot of the foul is called on the defense in its own end zone, the ball is placed on either the one-yard line or the two-yard line, and the offense must try to score from there. However, penalties called on the offense in its own end zone can result in the defense scoring a two-point safety.
If the defense commits a foul during the last play of any quarter, the offense usually has the option to accept the penalty and replay the down even with the clock showing 00:00. Conversely, in most cases where the offense commits a foul during the last play in the half, the play in which the foul is committed is usually nullified and the half ends.
In American football, when multiple fouls occur, when both teams commit a foul during a play, regardless of severity, the fouls are usually offset and the down is replayed. However, the fouls must be committed in the same time frame. For instance, two fouls during the active play can offset, but a foul during the play and a personal foul after the whistle may not. Two personal fouls after the play can offset, although this is not often called. In the NFL, a major penalty by one team may not offset a minor penalty by the other team. In the CFL, the penalty yardage is generally netted: a 15-yard penalty by one team and a 10-yard penalty by the other will result in 5 net yards of penalty enforcement.
Intentional fouls
In certain situations, a team may intentionally commit a foul in order to receive a penalty that they see as advantageous:- A delay of game or intentional false start penalty may be sought intentionally in order to back up the line of scrimmage prior to a punt to allow for a larger punting field.. However, this penalty can be declined, and if applicable, can run out the clock if repeated.
- Defensive pass interference may be committed in or near the end zone toward the end of a game in order to prevent a touchdown. This would place the ball at or near the goal line with a first down, and give the defense of a team that is slightly ahead a chance to prevent a touchdown that would put the opponent ahead. The unfair act clause allows for a touchdown to be awarded in such situations and is explicitly recommended when such fouls are repeated.
- Since a penalty will stop the clock, a team may commit a foul late in a game in order to stop the clock, particularly if they have no timeouts remaining. Some leagues have instituted a 10-second runoff in order to offset any advantage gained from this.
- In the waning minutes of a game, committing a foul such as holding results in the down being replayed, and while the clock stops after the play, the time that elapsed during the play still came off the clock, thus allowing teams to gain extra downs to run out the clock by fouling. The NFL closed this loophole in 2017, declaring this strategy to be unsportsmanlike conduct and resetting the clock to where it stood before the play.
The ten-second runoff rule
- A foul by either team that prevents the ball from being snapped
- Intentional grounding
- Illegal forward pass beyond the line of scrimmage
- Throwing a backwards pass out of bounds
- Any other intentional act that causes the clock to stop
- The clock is stopped when the ball is set for play and will not start until the ball is snapped.
- If the team on offense has timeouts and elects to use one in lieu of the runoff.
- If the defense declines the runoff. Note that the team on defense may elect to decline the runoff while accepting the yardage penalty, but may not do the reverse.
Starting in 2011, the NCAA adopted a similar 10-second penalty rule for college football. Like the NFL rule, it applies in the last minute of each half, but the NCAA rule differs in that it applies to fouls by either side that cause a clock stoppage. Like the NFL rule, the team that benefits from the penalty may elect to take both the yardage and the runoff, the yardage alone, or neither. The penalized team may elect to take a charged timeout in order to avoid the runoff.
The new NCAA rule was passed in response to the end of the 4th quarter in the 2010 Music City Bowl. In that game, the North Carolina Tar Heels were down 20-17 at the end of the 4th quarter and because they had no timeouts, they spiked the ball to stop the clock with 1 second left while too many men were on the field due to confusion about whether the field goal unit needed to come on the field. Because college football did not yet have the 10-second runoff, UNC was penalized 5 yards but was still able to kick the field goal to send the game to overtime, and would wind up winning the game.
In both the NFL and NCAA, a 10-second runoff is assessed if the game is stopped in the final two minutes of either half for an instant replay review, and the review determines the clock would not have stopped otherwise. This provision was used near the end of regulation in the 2018 LSU vs. Texas A&M game. An interception by LSU's Grant Delpit was overruled when it was determined Texas A&M quarterback Kellen Mond retrieved a bad snap with his right knee on the ground, ending the play. After the ball was re-spotted and the clock reset, 10 seconds were deducted and the clock restarted on the ready-for-play signal. In this situation, either team may call a time-out to prevent the runoff.