Runner for A is doing the tight-rope walk going down the sidelines. As he is about to lose his balance and fall OOB there is the LJ in the coaches box. Runner extends his hand and pushes off the referee to regain his balance. By Rule 2-28-1 should be legal, but Im thinking otherwise.

2-28 art 2 legal

What would you rule if runner running down sideline is touched by a player standing on the sideline.

[Edited by andy1033 on Oct 7th, 2004 at 09:03 PM]

Maybe illegal participation? The players on the sideline are not part of the field, officials are.

The same rule, 2-28-2, says that a ball in player possession is OB when the runner touches anything , other than a player or game official, who is on or outside a sideline or endline.
A player is in the same clasification here as a game official.
Second if the player was a different situation it would still not be Illegal Participation since the play would be over because the ball would have gone OB.

That's why the pylon's are 3 yards off the end line. So that if a player is running a route deep in the endzone and kicks a pylon but never touches ground OOB by rule he is OOB. Plus, BJs don't have to trip over them this way :)

This is the first thing I do when walking the field -- move the yard markers back and move the endline pylons back off the endline (except the ones in the corner, of course).

--Rich

If the "player" was never on the field of play prior to the snap, he is by definition not a player, but rather a non-player. This then, would make me throw the flag for illegal participation. If the "player" is actually a player by definition, then there is no foul.

Worked a game last week with 2 officials with over 40 years experience between them. When I moved the endline pylons back they asked me what I was doing. I told them...and they looked at me like a beagle looking at a ceiling fan. Same week, I had 3 different coaches ask why I was moving the pylons. Of course, I can expect that from coaches...:D

[QUOTE]Originally posted by jumpmaster

Quote:

Worked a game last week with 2 officials with over 40 years experience between them. When I moved the endline pylons back they asked me what I was doing.

REPLY: Thank God you didn't need to rule a momentum exception. Sounds like those guys haven't been "in the book" for quite a while!

My crew cheif doesn't allow our BJ to move the pylons. He says he will write up a report and the association secretary will notify them that they need to be 3 yards back.

I think it's splitting hairs, but I just do as I'm told...

Pardon my ignorance. I'm a rookie at this.....but can you explain to me why you move the pylons off the endline?

Because somewhere in Rule 1 it says the end line pylons should be 3 yards off the end line. :)

The purpose is that if a player is running a route and kicks the pylon--but never touches the line or ground that is OOB. By 2-28-2, just kicking the pylon makes this player OOB. By moving it back 3 yards, hopefully we won't have this problem.

Not to pick nits, but it is 3 feet not yards. Rule 1-2-4.

Plus the BJ won't trip over them either.

Uh, yea.. 3 feet. ;)