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I logged on tonight to find I have caused some confusion. I reread my post and now I understand why. While rearranging sentences in my post using 'cut and paste" unfortunately an important part to my answer to SouthGaRef's question did not get pasted. I will answer it again to hopefully clear things up.
SouthGaRef asked: If a player returning from OOB touches a pass it's Pass Intereference? Can you give me a rule reference, because I don't have a rulebook in front of me, and I did not know this. I thought it was just IP.
No, this is not pass interference. He is still an eligible receiver so his touching is legal. But he is still guilty of returning from OOB so you have correctly concluded the penalty is Illegal participation.
The Offensive pass interference I was talking about earlier involved the player who had stepped out and returned and while then participating physically hinders the defensive player from trying to catch a legal forward pass.
The same player who stepped out could commit additional fouls. Your question addressed pass interference so lets use that as an example. Pass interference (Off/Def) is discussed in 7-5-10 and also the chart on page 58 of rule book.
Rules support is as follows:
Above is the part that was missing. I then went on to write:
Even though he stepped out of bounds he continues to be a player (2-30-1). At the start of every down players are either eligible or ineligible (7-5-6a). Team A has restrictions but all Team B players are eligible (7-5-6-c). A player who is eligible at the start of the down remains eligible throughout the down (7-5-6d).
As we have discussed if the player goes out and returns it is illegal participation (9-6-2). But this assumes that is the only foul to occur duing the play. Remember in definition of a rule the last sentence reads "if a foul is mentioned, it is assumed that it is not a part of a double or multiple foul unless so stated or implied". (2-35)
Just because a player commits one foul does not exonerate him from committing a subsequent foul. If he commits multiple fouls during the play the offended team still has option of which one to accept. If the penalties were by Team A then Team B will in most cases accept OPI because it also carries loss of down.
Again I am sorry for the confusion.
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