Lost Helmet by Defender?

[jTheUmp]

Originally Posted by mcbailey

If we are talking FED rules, then there is no foul.

In NCAA rules, it is a personal foul.

Rule 3-3-9-c: "...If the player is not the ball carrier the ball remains alive, but he must not continue to participate in the play beyond the immediate action in which he is engaged. Prolonged participation is a personal foul (Rule 9-1-17). By definition such a player is obviously out of the play (Rule 9-1-12-b)."

Correct. In NCAA, it's also a personal foul for an opponent to contact the aforementioned helmetless player.

And, according to the interpretation I heard at a clinic this spring, if the player's helmet comes off and he puts his helmet back on, at that point he can rejoin the play. He will still be required to sit out the next down, however.