Injured Player out for one "Down"
 

Fed Rules:

The referee calls an officials timeout for a player injury. The player leaves the field. On the next play, Holding is called and the penalty is accepted. Does this injured player have to sit out the next snap because the down is being replayed?

Yes. The injured player must be replaced for one down. 9-6-4b.

I disagree. The definition of a down (2-7-1) is that it begins when the ball is snapped or free kicked and ends when the ball becomes dead. That has happened. He may re-enter after the enforcement of the penalty.

I tend to agree with bison. Just because the 'down is replayed' doesn't mean that the down did not occur.

Agree with bison: no.

So with the accepted penalty the down is not replayed!?

That doesn't follow. Of course the down is replayed. That wasn't the question.

Rule 3-5-10 states that...." the player shall be replaced for at least one down, unless half-time or an over-times intermission occurs" Rule 9-6-4b also addressed the requirement for an injured player to be replaced for at least one down. So the way I see it if the down is replayed he cannot reenter.

IMHO

I agree that he can come back in. Read the definition of a down the snap has occurred and the play declared dead.

In my opinion, you are reading way too much into this. I wouldn't want to be on the field and associated with this interpretation in any way.

Just because a down is replayed doesn't mean a down didn't occur for the purposes of 3-5-10. We know a down was played, otherwise it wouldn't need to be REplayed. The requirement doesn't read "the player shall be replaced for at least one down in which a penalty for a foul on the injured players team is accepted, unless half-time...".

Taken to the extreme:

What if it was the defensive team's star middle linebacker that got dinged? Are you really not going to let him back in after an accepted hold on the offense? When the offense scores on the next play, good luck with that defensive coach.

But what is the definition of a down?

SECTION 7 DOWN – LOSS OF DOWN
ART. 1 . . . A down is action which starts with a legal snap (beginning a
scrimmage down) or when the ball is kicked on a free kick (beginning a free-kick down). A down ends when the ball next becomes dead.

Did we have a legal snap? Yup Did the ball next become dead? Yup
The down occurred. Repeating it is a part of the penalty assessment

Exactly, the down was played. The fact that it has to be replayed does NOT mean the down did not occur. If the down didn't occur, there would be no foul, no penalty, no enforcement, and no replay.

To "repeat/replay a down" is a colloquialism that is not defined in the book. The correct term is the number of the down, or a series of four numbered downs. The number of the down is what is important. Rule 5-2-2 describes that the NUMBER of the down is the same as the preceeding down when certain fouls occur during that down. It does not say that the down is "replayed", "repeated" or any other language that nullifies the fact that the down did, in fact occur. Since rule 9-6-4 says nothing about a player staying out of the game for one number of a down, then as soon as the ball becomes legally live, and legally dead, the requirement for 9-6-4 is met and the injured player may return.

I am incorrect and he would be able to reenter the game. Thanks for getting the brain ready for the season.