Roughing the kicker scenarios

[charlee808]

Scenario #1 - Defender jumps up and slightly forward to block a punt. Defender is already in the air as the ball makes contact with the kickers foot. Kick is not blocked. Defender lands almost face to face with the kicker and momentum has him fall on the kicker. Penalty of roughing the kicker has been called.

Scenario #2 - Defender makes the block on a PAT and hits the kicker's planted leg while his kicking leg is still in the air in the same motion. No penalty called.

Were these penalties assessed correctly?

[jTheUmp]

#1, I'm having trouble picturing it exactly, but yeah, if the defender doesn't touch the kick it's roughing (possibly running-into-the-kicker if the contact is slight, but if in doubt, it's roughing).

#2: If the defender touches/blocks the kick and "contact is unavoidable" then yes, no foul is the correct call.

[Mbilica]

In #1, when in doubt, it is roughing rather than running into. So, I support roughing here.

In #2, no foul. The defender blocked the kick and contacted the kicker in the process of blocking the kick.

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[Robert Goodman]

Originally Posted by charlee808

Scenario #1 - Defender jumps up and slightly forward to block a punt. Defender is already in the air as the ball makes contact with the kickers foot. Kick is not blocked. Defender lands almost face to face with the kicker and momentum has him fall on the kicker.

Whose momentum: the defender's or the kicker's? If the contact is caused in part by the kicker's own motion, no foul in Fed.

[ajmc]

Originally Posted by Robert Goodman

Whose momentum: the defender's or the kicker's? If the contact is caused in part by the kicker's own motion, no foul in Fed.

NFHS 9-4-5 is VERY specific "A defensive player SHALL NEITHER" run into nor rough a kicker, which places the responsibility on the defensive player to avoid contact. The rule further provides 4 general categories of exceptions to that responsibility:

a. Contact is UNAVOIDABLE because it is not reasonably certain that a kick will be made.
b. The defense touches the kick near the kicker and contact is UNAVOIDABLE
c. Contact is slight and is partially caused by the movement of the kicker.
d. Contact is caused by R being blocked into the kicker or holder by K.

The defense is forewarned and will be held responsible for contact with the kicker (exceptions included) and will suffer the consequences of doing so. The judgment of whether, OR NOT, any contact with the kicker is excused by the rule exceptions rests EXCLUSIVELY with the covering official on EACH INDIVIDUAL kicking situation. There is NO "One size fits all" application