Flopping to Falling and everywhere in between.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by rockyroad

Wasn't asking you to justify it to a coach or player...was asking you to explain your rule basis for calling it that way to me as another official so I could understand your reasoning.

And it sounds like I was simply picturing the play differently (less extreme) than you were.

It's been a real issue the past few years. I had one on Friday night where the player fell back so early, the offensive player never made contact and wen't through the space the player once occupied (and over the player who fell to the floor). I no called that, but it could've been ugly.

I'm not saying I expect a player to stay in there and "take a charge like a man," but starting to fall to the floor before contact, while probably not flopping, is really not what's intended by the "absorb contact" or "protect himself" statements, either.

My partner said he told the player that he could call a technical foul for flopping and I encouraged him to not be a pioneer in that area, either.