What's your ruling?

[Bob M.]

REPLY: We might be talking past each other. Here's one play I was considering: B10 intercepts A's pass in his own endzone and runs it out. During his return, B11 holds in the endzone. After that, A2 tackles B10 and is guilty of an incidental facemask (5-yd variety).

The way I read your proposal, A would be the first to choose his options. Of course, he'd accept the penalty for B's hold. Now, if I read you correctly, B suffers a safety here with no way out--even though A did foul on the play.

[Robert Goodman]

Originally Posted by Bob M.

REPLY: We might be talking past each other. Here's one play I was considering: B10 intercepts A's pass in his own endzone and runs it out. During his return, B11 holds in the endzone. After that, A2 tackles B10 and is guilty of an incidental facemask (5-yd variety).

The way I read your proposal, A would be the first to choose his options. Of course, he'd accept the penalty for B's hold. Now, if I read you correctly, B suffers a safety here with no way out--even though A did foul on the play.

Yes, that's the way I'd have it if nothing else were changed. A2's violation not being a safety matter (not a personal foul), it would be ignored if A accepted the prior penalty. A2's violation occurred only during action which was putatively made possible by B11's prior violation, so why should it get any notice once the penalty for that violation was enforced?

Actually I'd also change the safety award to a touchback, because why should a safety be awarded when A was responsible for the ball's being in B's end zone? But you didn't ask about that.

Robert