Obstruction and coach's interference video

[GarthB]

Originally Posted by Steven Tyler

I don't have current a rulebook handy, but isn't this the last sentence of the rule section?

PENALTY FOR INTERFERENCE: The runner is out and the ball is dead.

What does no play being made on the "assisted" runner have to do with whether the ball remains in play or not? It's either dead or it isn't.

In the case of 7.09(1), sometimes known as "coach's interference', it isn't.

The ball reamains in play, though the runner is called out. From JEA:

"If no play is being made on the assisted runner, the umpire shall signal that the runner is out and allow the ball to remain alive. This enforcement principle permits the defensive team to make plays on other runners if possible."