What rule says there can't be 12 in the formation after the ready for play?

3.7.1 Situation B COMMENT: . . .if the covering official’s count of players has determined there are more than 11 prior to the snap, a dead-ball illegal substitution foul should be charged since a replaced player(s) did not leave within three seconds.
We have been instructed that any time we observe 12 in the formation after the ready, we "blow it and throw it" - dead ball, illegal substitution. Most of the time we catch this type of illegal substitution in a "mass change" of players, such as defense taking over, kicking team running out, etc. We have been instructed to use the RFP as a reference point for enforcement.

Which you've been told doesn't mean much here if you don't have a rule to back it up. :)

If you have 12 players come on the field after a TO, there's no sub, there's no replaced player, hence there's no penalty.

May not mean much to you, but it must mean something to NFHS or they wouldn't have put the comment in the casebook. Are you so married to the rules that you can't apply common sense in regard to the spirit? In regard to your last comment, how would you handle that? IP all the time?

You've chopped the FED caseplay - can you include it all so I know the part you posted wasn't taken out of context?

I'm having trouble understanding how one would (in FED) call this an illegal substitution. After a TO, there are no subs or replaced players unless someone enters after a huddle or formation. And yes, I would not flag this at all (by rule I can't - there's no foul here) and if they ran the play with 12, it's IP.

So basically, this is going against what everyone said on this thread regarding nearly the same scenario.

http://forum.officiating.com/footbal...icipation.html

Sure, no problem.
*3.7.1 SITUATION B: A number of team substitutes enter the field between
downs. The officials do not recognize that one replaced player does not leave the field within three seconds. When the ball is snapped: (a) B12 is attempting to get off the field, or (b) A12 is in the formation as an extra lineman. RULING: In (a), it is an illegal substitution foul and in (b) it is illegal participation. COMMENT: In a related situation, if the covering official’s count of players has determined there are more than 11 prior to the snap, a dead-ball illegal substitution foul should be charged since a replaced player(s) did not leave within three seconds. However, if the official’s count is not completed before the snap is imminent or if the substitution has not been monitored, it becomes illegal participation at the snap if more than 11 are in the formation. Each team is responsible for substituting legally and for replaced players to leave within three seconds as required. (3-7-4; 9-
6-4c)
The question at our meeting was the definition of the word, "imminent" and the direction from the state was that if, after the ready for play, an official discovers 12 in the formation, it's a dead ball foul for illegal substitution, instead of allowing the ball to be snapped and then getting them for IP.

Why not? 3-7-1 still applies, right?
ART. 1 . . . Between downs any number of eligible substitutes may replace
players. Replaced players shall leave the field within three seconds.

I think NFHS probably needs to address this point, since I'm fairly sure they don't want us flagging a team for IS during a time-out. ;)

Thanks!!!
Therein lies the rub. Substitute and replaced player have specific definitions. This applies to normal between-play action. This would not apply on the first play of a half, or after a COP or Timeout. There are no substitutes; no "replaced players" in the OP.

Every substitution occurs between downs, and every substitution involves substitutes and replaced players. I don't see anything that excepts COP or time-outs.

That discussion never really brought up a time-out or beginning of quarter scenario. It was really differentiating between IP/IS on A vs B, and was a case where there WERE substitutes and replaced players.

If this rule is meant to be applied during timeouts, it's the first I've heard of it. Surely we're not watching players entering the field during a time out and counting to 3. The players that come on the field after a timeout are not replacing anyone. That is the main difference between this situation and the normal between-play substitution.

Exactly what I said in post 23. But I don't see anything that restricts the scope of 3-7-1.


You can't have a substitution without substitutes and replaced players. During a time-out we don't pay attention to that, but it's still a substitution.

I do see your point. Time to re-crack open my book.

Eh. You use only NCAA, right? I doubt they have this problem, which isn't terribly serious because nobody (well, nobody I know) would ever call a dead-ball IS in the middle of a time-out.