Double Foul - Question 2

[ppaltice]

In NF you would need to determine the state of the ball before you can properly enforce the penalties. It is possible in the first case that the QB downed the ball at his feet (ending the down) prior to the illegal contact by the B player. In that case you would have a live ball IFP and a dead ball PC. If the ball was still in the air when you had the illegal PC, then you would have a double foul that will offset.

It has been a while since I called NCAA, but I think that in NCAA the illegal personal contact would be deemed a continuation so the live/dead ball distinction would not be a factor. For NF the state of the ball is important. I believe that the unknown state of the ball is why the above two poster have different rulings.

[Robert Goodman]

Originally Posted by ppaltice

In NF you would need to determine the state of the ball before you can properly enforce the penalties. It is possible in the first case that the QB downed the ball at his feet (ending the down) prior to the illegal contact by the B player. In that case you would have a live ball IFP and a dead ball PC. If the ball was still in the air when you had the illegal PC, then you would have a double foul that will offset.

See, AJMC, there's another case where in a close call ruling the ball to have been dead before the personal foul results in its penalty being enforced.

[ajmc]

Originally Posted by Robert Goodman

See, AJMC, there's another case where in a close call ruling the ball to have been dead before the personal foul results in its penalty being enforced.

Our job is all about what we do and how we handle close plays, Robert. Anyone can call a blatant encroachment of holding when a player is grabbed, out in the open, and thrown to the ground by a blocker.

The rule is clearly back and white. If the illegal pass hits the ground, the play is dead the instant it hits the ground. If the foul is judged to be before the ball hit the ground, you could have either a double or multiple foul (depending on who's fouling). If the foul is judged to be after the ball hit the ground, you're talking live ball and dead ball fouls.

That's why we make those, "big bucks".