New helmet rule

[ddn]

Originally Posted by BktBallRef

That's not what the rule says.

If he's clipped, falls awkwardly and his helmet comes off, I am not making home sit a play. He was fouled which caused his helemt to come off. End of story.

I don't agree with this. If the intention of the rule is to "punish" the player for an improperly fitted helmet, I would like to think that a properly fitted helmet would be able to stay on whenever a players helmet hits the ground.

I'm making him sit.


However, think about the situation in which a player is violently blocked-in-the-back, and the player's head whiplash causes the helmet to come off. If somehow he is not injured, do you make him sit? I think in this case a properly fitted helmet should stay on.

Here's the rule: "The helmet comes completely off during the down without being directly attributable to a foul by an opponent."

I take "directly attributable" to mean that the players helmet was involved, either by being hit, grasped, pulled, punched, kicked, batted, ...... BTW, had the same player's helmet come off twice in my first game. Coach was clueless on the new rule. I was not surprised even though we mentioned it pre-game.