One of the fouls that I have rarely called in 5 years of officiating is illegal helmet contact. I've only flagged it one time in five years.

I don't know if I'm just not flagging fouls for illegal helmet contact because I am not certain or if players are truly not fouling this way so I am seeking your collective help on this issue.


Some starter questions are:

How often have you called this?

When it comes to illegal helmet contact, what types of things are you looking for?

Please discuss this with me so I can make sure I am flagging any illegal helmet contact I might see. THANKS in advance for your input.

Mike,

Are you looking for helmet to helmet contact, tackler leading with the helmet contact, or contacting the helmet with a forearm or other body part?

We usually see 2-3 helmet to helmet fouls a year, and a couple of spearing (leading with the helmet). I do not usually see much of players being dumb enough to intentionally strike the helmet of another player however.

Called it very rarely. In our rules (NCAA), it refers to contact against someone's helmet (including facemask) that is either:
1. Continuous (which I interpret to mean for more than 2 seconds), or
2. A blow from a hand, fist, elbow, forearm, knee, etc, regardless of how long it lasts. (If I perceive the body part was used in a "striking" manner, I am flagging.)

Thanks for seeking clarification.

I am looking at NFHS rules and it sounds like the NCAA rules are codified differently.

I'm looking for clarification and examples of butt blocking, face tackling, and spearing. Are there things for which I can look that will tip me off that the helmet contact is legal or illegal.

I misunderstood where you were coming from. Regarding use of the contact to hit someone...

NCAA rules prohibit using helmet (or facemask) to butt or ram, they prohibit spearing, they prohibit hitting an opponent intentionally with the crown or top of helmet.

Again, I have rarely called (but called more frequently than the other type I was speaking about).

To me, all of these have to be obviously intentional in order to be flagged. And I am going to have to see the contact, even before there is contact, to make that determination. I believe I miss many potential fouls because of that requirement. I am just going with my gut. If my gut tells me it was intentional, than it is flagged. More often than not though it tells me it was possibly accidental and is going unflagged.

Years ago I was working "the sticks" on a college JV game
between Colgate and SUNY Cortland. I called a spearing
penalty on a "Gate player - it was pretty obvious to me.
After the game an Orthopedic MD came up to me and
thanked me for calling it ! I've never seen anything close
to that in any game I've worked since.
Face tackling is probably the "hardest" of those types
of penalties to call. I've never seen it called in all
of my 35 years in a striped shirt.

Also, NFHS rules, I interpret that the runner, the man with the ball, can not intentionally charge with his helmet into a defender to punish him for attempting a tackle. I have never called this because I have never seen it called.

However, you will see it in several games every year. I'm not talking about lowering your head to get a couple of extra yards. I am talking about the runner delivering a blow with his helmet, in a direction other than down field towards the goal, to a defender attempting a tackle.

If the point of emphasis is to protect the players spine, and head, from injury then shouldn't we hold the runners to the same standard as blockers, and tacklers?

Using your helmet
 

As an official and former player, I never call this as I see it as part of the game. When I was a fullback I was used as a bowling ball. Nothing fancy, give me the ball, lower head and shoulder, run over people, and get 2 yards. Tough to call that, this isnt the band.

Re: Using your helmet
 

I would suggest that you get out of officiating if you are not willing to enforce the rules...

I have to agree. It might of been legal when you played but it is now illegalized. I can't believe you have a blatant disreguard for the rules. Especially a safety rule. :(

I have called a runner for illegal helmet contact. As he was about to be hit from the side he swung his head around and delivered a blow with his helmet. I called the same kid 2 different times in one year, (jr High) the coach objected, but SAFETY FIRST.

illegal helmet contact
 

It is rarely called. I have called it significantly more in youth games and ocasionlly in a high school game ( only couple of times in 15 years).

Perhaps because of the 'infrequentness' of this call, it may be one of those judgement calls that we miss. If you look at the NFHS rules books, this type of foul has been a point of emphasis on more than one occasion....aparrently the NFHS rules folks have thought the same thing.

To call it: I am looking for a player that intentionally is tryiong to punish another player with the helmet (as a weapon).....easier said than done. Especially when a runner is trying for extra yards or a tackler is trying to bring down a runner.

I have called this on a few occassions. I find it is more often the B players making tackles, or diving into a falling runner to prevent him from gaining yards as he goes down. Most RB's know to lower a shoulder, which often results in some helmet contact, but more incidental in my opinion.

In a recent bowl game I did see a runner put to the top of his helmet into a defender in an attempt to run over him. I would have flagged that, but the foul went unnoticed by the game officials.

I give warnings to players who come close to illegal helmet contact in an effort to avoid future fouls, and injuries. I try to warn the coach that his players are getting close also, then I have CYA on my side when the flag does come out.

"To me, all of these have to be obviously intentional in order to be flagged." (I'm not singling you out TXMike but you seemed to sum up everyone's approach to this foul very well.)

Shouldn't a rule that is intended for safety (especially one where a player could break his neck) be flagged (or at least receive a warning) regardless of whether it was intentional or accidental? Don't you think flagging, or threatening to, would at least make the player and coach aware that they need to be more conscious of the techinques they are using?

Am I over-thinking this?

-Sean---

Warning is a good way to go on this, but sometimes you just need the flag.