Where is your rules reference?

Peace

I honestly do not care what the game had 50 years ago. I care if a rule has been violated here. If a rule has been violated that is the starting point we should be discussing. If you say he launched at least you have NCAA Rules support and interpretation. But a hard hit is not a very good example or reason to throw a flag here. And you have a player chasing a ball handler with a chance to make a play. Now I do not know of any rule not allowing him to be blocked.

I can ask the crew chief of that game what the official said about the call and what the Big Ten or NCAA might have also said. Maybe they supported the call, but I do not see based on everything I have seen why this was an illegal hit.

Peace

Why are they more apt to health issues because of today's game? I don't really agree with that. I think we are more aware of potential injuries and health issues now, but the equipment is better, the physical conditioning is better, and the medical attention is better than it has ever been. There were just as many issues in the 50s and 60s, but they went unnoticed and no one worried about them.

I don't agree that this particular hit has to be taken out of the game at any level. What is the offensive player supposed to do? Pull up and try to patty-cake with him? This is a physical game and people get hit hard.

2033 NFL Rule 21.3.4d - The game is moving in the direction of solid hits being unnecessary. Players should merely push players while blocking, hoping that is enough.

No, it's completely different. 10% heavier and 5% faster than just 10 years ago. 25% heavier and faster (estimated) than the 1960's. More weight colliding at higher speeds = higher safety issues.

That said, I don't like the softening direction we've gone and continue to go. I don't like legal hits getting penalized and/or fined.

NFHS 9-4-3g

I do not have my football rulebooks in front of me, but since when did this become a High School Game?

Peace

What, you didn't know the Big 10 Championship Game was officiated under high school rules?

Next thing he will try to show me is the rule on the crack back blocks. ;)

Peace

This comment, at least in my experience, isn't as frequent nowadays. Granted, I've only been officiating a little over 10 years, but I don't hear this complaint from the sidelines near as much now as when I started.

I didn't have the NCAA book in front of me, but it's in all codes.

Look at the first sentence of NCAA 9-1.

Let me know if you need me to read it to you.

Well get an IPad or some kind of smart phone and this will be easily available to you. ;)

But for the record this is what 9-1 says:

All fouls in this section (unless noted) and any other acts of unnecessary roughness are personal fouls. For flagrant personal fouls mandating conference review, see Rule 9-6. The penalties for all personal fouls are as follows.

Not seeing anything that says this hit was unnecessary.

Here is what 9-1-12 says:
Contact Against an Opponent Out of the Play

ARTICLE 12.

a. No player shall tackle or run into a receiver when a forward pass to him obviously is not catchable. This is a personal foul and not pass interference.

b. No player shall run into or throw himself against an opponent obviously out of the play either before or after the ball is dead.

He was pretty much in the play.

And with all due respect I do not care what the NF Rules are as it relates to this call. It is not relevant as the game has different examples of contact or actions that are more specific than anything the NF puts out in their books.

Peace

That's correct, but the point he made, and its the same one I made earlier, is that this type of block will soon be illegal. Probably next year. If you decide you want to wait until it is illegal to discuss it, fine, but I think its worth talking about now.

Well that is fine, but it is not in the rulebook now. I would not have called a foul on this on the field this year unless I felt their was helmet contact. That was my only point.

Peace

Everyone gets your point. You don't like a flag here. Fine, at present it's a borderline case, and you're entitled to your opinion (until your supervisor tells you otherwise).

But denying that there's a rule is sticking your head in the sand. UNR is a foul. You say that rule doesn't apply to this play, and others say it does.

The game is not evolving (at every level) in the direction of ruling these hits UNR. That's the point worth discussing.