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.
