The NFHS defines three types of illegal helmet contact: spearing, butt blocking, and face tackling. Spearing is an act by an offensive or defensive player who initiates contact against any opponent with the top of his helmet (2-20-1 [c]). Butt blocking is an act by an offensive or defensive player who initiates contact against an opponent who is not the ball carrier with the front of his helmet (2-20-1 [a]). Face tackling is an act by a defensive player who initiates contact with a ball carrier with the front of his helmet (2-20-1 [b]).

Talk to a group of 100 high school football officials and you are likely to get 100 different points of view when it comes to calling illegal helmet contact. Some believe it’s no big deal and simply will not call it. Some believe it should be called any time you suspect you may have seen it regardless of whether or not it actually took place. However, most fall somewhere in the middle.

The majority of officials, coaches, players, and fans recognize that a significant danger exists when a player leads with his head and makes initial contact with the helmet. There is, however, a misconception as to whom is at most risk. While many think that the illegal helmet contact rules were put in place to protect the player being hit, it is actually the player delivering the blow that is most at risk of catastrophic injury. Illegal helmet contact is the only foul where a player is penalized for his own safety.

Despite the risks, illegal helmet contact is not called nearly enough – at any level.

In 2005, the NATA/AFCA task force conducted a survey of NCAA officials on the existing helmet contact rule. More than 200 officials from the Atlantic Coast, Big East, Big 10, Big 12, Pac-10 and Southeastern conferences responded. In the 2005 season, those officials called 2,027 games with the average of 9.9 games each. When questioned regarding how many helmet contact penalties they had called over the past year, 80 percent said they had not called a helmet contact penalty the entire season. Sixteen percent had called one, two percent had called two and two percent had called three. No official called more than three of those penalties.

NCAA Football 2007 • A supplement to the NCAA Football Rules • Prepared by the editors of Referee magazine

“Make sure you are calling what you see and pass on any foul you are not sure of” could be the mantra of football clinicians.

Unfortunately, illegal helmet contact is simply a hard foul to call. It’s difficult to see in the best of cases – the head is normally lowered or lunged forward a fraction of a second before contact. Blink and you miss it. It’s not an impossible foul to call, though. I’ve made it a personal point of emphasis this year.

Working semi-pro games over the summer, I’ve noticed that – like all other things in the game – illegal helmet contact slows down after you’ve gone out of your way to see it a few times. While difficult, it’s not impossible to see and call.

We can do better. We must do better.

Or the next kid that leaves the field on a backboard is on all of us.

In the video clip below, we have a legal forward pass that ends up simultaneously possessed by airborne offensive and defensive players. The defensive player in joint possession of the ball appears to return to the field of play in his own end zone prior to the offensive player. The ruling on the field by the side judge was touchdown.

Is this play a touchdown or an interception? Did the crew get it right?

The correct answer, of course, is… it depends.

This play highlights one of the areas where the NFHS (high school) and NCAA (college) rule sets differ.

Under NFHS rules, “a forward pass, legal or illegal, is complete and may be advanced when caught by any player A or B. If a forward pass is caught simultaneously by two opponents, the ball becomes dead and belongs to the passing team. (7-5-4)”. Since possession of a live ball in the opponents end zone is always a touchdown (8-2-1), this play would result in a touchdown under Federation rules.

Under NCAA rules, the legal forward pass is considered completed or intercepted by the player who first returns to the ground in bounds when joint possession is established with both players in the air (AR 7-3-6 II). In this case since the defensive player returned to the ground on the field of play first, the play would result in an interception. Since the ball became dead in possession of a player behind the goal line and the offense was responsible for the ball being there (8-6-1 [a]), the play results in a touchback under NCAA rules.

This is a high school game played under NFHS rules between the Blackhawk Cougars and Montour Spartans in Pennsylvania.

The side judge was in perfect position and ruled correctly, touchdown!

Who am I?

My name is Brett Anderson. I currently reside in Grayslake, IL with my wife and twin children. Since 2006 I have been a licensed official with the Illinois High School Association (IHSA). I am currently licensed in six sports: football, soccer, wrestling, basketball, baseball, & softball. My officiating career got off to an auspicious start in November of my first year when I tore an ACL and shredded a medial meniscus officiating my first contest. The rehab process was significantly slowed due to the fact that I had one month old twins (Owen & Marlo) at home at the time, so I was unable to take the field, court, mat, or diamond until the following August.

Undeterred by my initial experience and with the help of a wonderful extended family, I began to officiate games the following fall at the pace of 300 – 400 per year. I’ve developed a true passion for the avocation of officiating and the perpetual quest for the perfect game.

Professionally, I spend my days working as a software engineer. Since 2003, I have been employed byFry, Inc working out of our office in Westmont, IL.

Why bother with blogging?

Mostly for selfish reasons. I’ve found that to truly master a craft you have to be capable of instruct others in the various aspects of that craft. I spend a significant amount of time working to improve as an official and I believe this to be an extension of that work. I am hoping that people will find these blog posts factually correct, informative, useful, and/or interesting. I believe that blogs of this nature work better as conversations, so please feel free to leave on topic comments or send me an email message.

Isn’t this a bit presumptuous at this point in your officiating career?

Possibly.

However, I’m looking at this as simply an exercise where I can organize my thoughts on various aspects of officiating. Nothing more. Nothing less. Posting my thoughts publicly not only invites feedback that I might not be able to receive via other various channels, but allows for the possibility that others can benefit from my work.

The thoughts expressed here are mine and not representative of my employer, any association of which I am a member, or the IHSA.

How can I contact you?

Email | Facebook | Twitter