Is This Player Control?

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by Jimgolf

Before I ever read a rulebook, I always thought that a foul was excessive contact, and that the foul would be charged to whoever is responsible for the contact.

Is this too simplistic?

Not only simplistic, but wrong.

Read NFHS rule 4-27, especially Art.2--"Contact which occurs unintentionally in an effort by an opponent to reach a loose ball, or contact which may result when opponents are in equally favorable positions to perform normal offensive or defensive movements, should not be considered illegal, even though the contact may be SEVERE."

A simplistic but correct statement might actually be what the rulebook states in R4-19-1--i.e. a foul involves illegal contact.