Horse-Collar Tackle

[jdmara]

Fed

Originally Posted by 9-4-3k

(No player or nonplayer shall...)grab the inside back or side collar of the shoulder pads or jersey of the runner and subsequently pull (backward or sideward) that opponent to the ground (horse-collar), even if possession is lost. The horse-collar foul is enforced as a live-ball foul

This rule came up for discussion in a local meeting. It seems pretty clear by rule and casebook that if B grabs A by the back or side of the collar of the shoulder pads (or jersey) and subsequently is brought down (either inbounds or out of bounds) we administer that as a live-ball foul.

Taking it one iteration further, what do we have if the initial grab over the collar is after the runner clearly crosses the sideline? Do we still assess this as a live-ball foul or do we then have a dead-ball personal foul for a late hit/unnecessary roughness? The argument against calling this a live ball foul is that once the runner is clearly across the sideline, they are no longer a runner.

Just wanted to gather some thoughts

-Josh