Inadvertant Whistle

[WhistlesAndStripes]

1st and 10 from the 20 YL. A1 hands off to A22 in the backfield. As A22 runs past the 22 YL, A63 commits an illegal block in the back foul against B75, and the LJ blows his whistle and throws his flag. The runner is then tackled inbounds at the 28 YL.

What are the options for B in regards to the penalty, and how does this affect As options in regards to the Inadvertant Whistle?

If the penalty is declined, what options does A have?

[Theisey]

Not sure when or where I first read this, but "the best thing that can happen to an official who blows his whistle prematurely is for there to be a foul on the play and the penalty is accepted; for then, the whistle is ignored (4-2-3)".

I know where you can find this principle now, you can find it in the Study Guide to NFHS Football Rules by Redding and Demetriou. I'll bet I read it in Referee Magazine years ago in some article By George and I've committed it to memory since then.

Knowing this, take a shot at answering your own question.

[Warrenkicker]

Well that answers when the penalty is accepted. However if the penalty is declined (I don't know, maybe it was a full moon or something) then A has the standard options being the last in possession; replay or accept results where ball became dead.

[Suudy]

I'll take a stab. We've had this situation a few times when we had a group of basketball officials jump into the football arena. We had lots of chocolate whistles as they got accustomed to letting the action continue.

You didn't say where the block in the back occurred, so it is difficult to give exact yardage options. Also, I'm assuming the foul occurred before the IW.

Originally Posted by Whistles & Stripes

What are the options for B in regards to the penalty, and how does this affect As options in regards to the Inadvertant Whistle?

B's choice to accept the penalty comes before A's options on the IW. If B accepts, the BIB is enforced accorinding to the all-but-one principle, and the IW is ignored. It will still be 1st down, but depending on the location of the BIB, it's not clear what the yard line would be.

Originally Posted by Whistles & Stripes

If the penalty is declined, what options does A have?

This was a running play, so A can choose the results of the play, i.e. 2nd and 8 from the 22. Or A can replay the down, 1st and 10 from the 20.

[Bob M.]

Originally Posted by Whistles & Stripes

...A63 commits an illegal block in the back foul against B75, and the LJ blows his whistle and throws his flag. The runner is then tackled inbounds at the 28 YL.

REPLY: Note also that for penalty enforcement, the end of the run is not necessarily the 28 where the runner was tackled. It' s where the ball was when the IW was blown.