Quote:
Originally posted by carolinaRRREF
I just watched the video of the play. The defender grabbed the receiver, and the receiver pushed his arm away. That was it. Equally amount defensive pass interference by the letter of the law, but nobody here would have called that.
There is such thing as incidental contact. If the defender was holding the receiver, he would have had to struggle to get away. Touching does not constitute holding someone by any means. If it does in your mind, you need to go back and read the definition of a hold in a dictionary or rulebook.
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http://www.nfl.com/fans/rules/useofhands
A defensive player is allowed to maintain continuous and unbroken contact within the five-yard zone until a point when the receiver is even with the defender. The defensive player cannot use his hands or arms to push from behind, hang onto, or encircle an eligible receiver in a manner that restricts movement as the play develops. Beyond this five-yard limitation, a defender may use his hands or arms ONLY to defend or protect himself against impending contact caused by a receiver. In such reaction, the defender may not contact a receiver who attempts to take a path to evade him.