Calling a timeout
 

Can an offensive football player call timeout before be down?

before be down?

before he is down? No

before a down? Yes

RB is running a sees clock winding down and he slides and calls TO. legal?

But has to be down?

Not sure whether the question is before the down or before he is down.

Before the down an offensive player cannot call a timeout at the end of the down; however, players can inform an official they want a timeout at the end of the down and the official will acknowledge it.

My suggestion is if a player requests a timeout at the end of the down ask them to call it as you will be looking for it because a situation could arise that would not necessiate a timeout.

As to the other situation, no player can request a timeout before the down has ended.

As Ed indicated, I would definitely confirm they still want the TO at the end of the down before I would award it. Many problems could arise otherwise.