FL/Bama game (Injured player rule)

[McMac]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but in ALL rule sets (Fed, NCAA, and NFL) a player who is attended to for injury must sit out one play.

Situation: 4th and 8 from the 50. K1 punts, is roughed by R1. On the other end, K2 interferes with R2. Offsetting penalties, replay the down. But both K1 (the punter) and R2 (the returner) were attended to on the field. R2 was taken to the sideline, but K1 stayed in and replayed the down.

Shouldn't K1 have also had to sit for a play?

[APG]

Under NFL rules, a player would not have to sit out a play if he was injured as a result of a foul.

NFL Rules (2011)
Rule 4, Section 5

Article 3 When an injury timeout is called, the injured player must leave the game for the completion of one down. The player will be permitted to remain in the game if:

(a) either team calls a charged team timeout;
(b) the injury is the result of a foul by an opponent; or

[CT1]

I don't know the wording of the NCAA rule, but for FED it's:

"ART. 10 . . . An official’s time-out (which is not charged to either team) occurs,
and the player shall be replaced for at least one down, unless halftime or an overtime
intermission occurs when:
a. An apparently injured player is discovered by a game official while the ball
is dead and the clock is stopped and for whom the ready-for-play signal is
delayed, or for whom the clock is stopped."

The way I read it, if they can attend to him while the penalty is being discussed and administered, he can stay in, since the game wasn't delayed or the clock stopped solely due to the injury.

[Theisey]

NCAA: I suppose it a matter of for which player was an injury timeout called for..

Regardless, here's a rule site (from 3-3) for what is to happen after a timeout is taken for an injured player.

Injury Timeout

ARTICLE 5. a. In the event of an injured player(s):
1. An official will declare a timeout and the player(s) must leave the game.
He must remain out of the game for at least one down. When in question,
officials will take a timeout for an injured player.
2. The player(s) may not return to the game until he receives approval of

professional medical personnel designated by his institution.

[BktBallRef]

Originally Posted by Theisey

NCAA: I suppose it a matter of for which player was an injury timeout called for..

That was my thinking as well. If the clock was stopped for one player, a second player could receive aid and not have to leave the game, as long as he was ready when the R was ready to play the RFP.

[azbigdawg]

That wasnt the biggest of their screw-ups during the game

[CT1]

Originally Posted by azbigdawg

That wasnt the biggest of their screw-ups during the game

I wondered when someone would bring this up...........

[MD Longhorn]

I didn't think this was a screw up. There are 2 valid reasons why he stayed in. One would be if they did not stop play for either injury, as they were addressing the penalties; two would be that they stopped play for the returner.

[jchamp]

Originally Posted by BktBallRef

That was my thinking as well. If the clock was stopped for one player, a second player could receive aid and not have to leave the game, as long as he was ready when the R was ready to play the RFP.

Given the situation at hand, this seems like a case where R could gain an advantage by deliberately fouling the kicker. The WH should always notice quirks in the game that permit this, and be prepared to rule in a way that does not encourage a team to try to harm an opponent. By closing off that loophole in the rules, he has acted in the best interest of the players and the sport. If it is a serious enough situation, the rules committee should be looking to revise the rule to codify this behavior.
Punters and place-kickers are especially vulnerable to permitting wayward hits, you don't need to interpret the rules so as to permit additional hits.

[azbigdawg]

Originally Posted by CT1

I wondered when someone would bring this up...........

Yah.... the head linesman or whoever blew that call dead really kicked it..ball was still loose. It was interesting watching the conversation between he and the referee....I dont think they looked vey good on a couple of plays,,,

[Theisey]

After seeing the video of this play.. Injured Punter - YouTube
its my thinking "they" just forgot about the punter being injured maybe because of the double foul situation they needed to deal with. The receiver obviously got the worst of the hit.