FED: Protecting the punter

[InsideTheStripe]

Originally Posted by johnnyg08

FED Football officials:

To what degree do you protect the punter while in punting formation begins to run laterally (either left or right) and then kicks the football?

Is he (the punter) afforded the same protection if he does or doesn't move laterally?

If I need to clarify any point of my question to get a better answer please let me know.

It's a two part thought process.

If the defender is not reasonably certain that a kick would be made due to the lateral movement AND the defender could not avoid the contact once the kick was made, then you have no foul.

If either of those test fail, it's still RTK.


9.4.5 SITUATION B: K1 in scrimmage-kick formation, muffs the snap, but quickly recovers and begins to run. However, K1 changes his mind and: (a) punts on the run; or (b) abruptly stops and punts. R1 is unable to stop his charge and forcibly contacts K1. R1 did not touch the kick. RULING: No foul in either (a) or (b) because it was not reasonably certain K1 was going to punt the ball. COMMENT: It is always roughing the kicker if the contact could have been avoided regardless of whether or not it was apparent a kick would be made. Only unavoidable contact is ignored if it is not reasonably certain a kick will be made.