Live or dead ball penalty?
 

Team A at 10 yard line going in. B11 is running on the field late and is at about the 17 yard line pretty close to the running back trying to get to his side of the ball as the ball is about to be snapped. Should this be blow dead before snap or let the play get off?


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Assuming NFHS...When thinking about live vs. dead ball fouls, a helpful key is to ask when did the foul occur?

Since an incoming substitute can't be guilty of encroachment until he is on his side of the neutral zone, we can't have an encroachment foul in this situation (and thus dead ball). The substitute has until the ball is snapped to get to his side of the neutral zone, so the foul can't occur until the ball is snapped. Anytime the ball is legally snapped, the foul is considered to have occurred at the snap but the ball remains live.

The way we discuss these types of situations is that if the infraction could have been corrected prior to the snap but wasn't, then the foul is considered to have occurred at the snap and is a live ball foul.

The aspect of this that I bet is causing concern is that the oncoming substitute was in the vicinity of an offensive player and specifically in the backfield and creates a potential safety risk to the offensive players if he participates in play after the snap. The rules are prepared for this by changing the foul from illegal substitution (5 yard penalty) to illegal participation (15 yard penalty) in this case.

I don't have any support for this, but a case could be made for an unnecessary roughness penalty in addition to the illegal participation if in such a situation the illegal sub/participant continues on to violently blindside the quarterback. This last part is just a speculative thought on my part and not anything I've ever seen discussed or actually happen.

Live ball foul (let the play go) 5 yard penalty from previous spot for ill sub.
(I agee with Boomers commentary)