1. If there is
a double foul during a down in which there is a change of possession, the
team last gaining possession may keep the ball unless its foul was committed
prior to the change of possession.
2. If double foul occurs after a
change of possession, the defensive team retains the ball at the spot of
its foul or dead ball spot.
3. If one of the fouls of a double
foul involves disqualification, that player must be removed, but no penalty
yardage is to be assessed.
4. If the kickers foul during a kickoff,
punt, safety kick, or field-goal attempt before possession changes, the
receivers will have the option of replaying the down at the previous spot
(offsetting fouls), or keeping the ball after enforcement for its fouls.
Penalty Enforced on Following Kickoff
1. When a team scores by touchdown,
field goal, extra point, or safety and either team commits a personal foul,
unsportsmanlike conduct, or obvious unfair act during the down, the penalty
will be assessed on the following kickoff.
Emergencies and Unfair Acts
Emergencies -- Policy
The National Football League requires
all League personnel, including game officials, League office employees,
players, coaches, and other club employees to use best effort to see that
each game -- preseason, regular season, and postseason -- is played to
its conclusion. The League recognizes, however, that emergencies may arise
that make a game’s completion impossible or inadvisable. Such circumstances
may include, but are not limited to, severely inclement weather, natural
or manmade disaster, power failure, and spectator interference. Games should
be suspended, cancelled, postponed, or terminated when circumstances exist
such that comencement or continuation of play would pose a threat to the
safety of participants or spectators.
Authority of Commissioner’s Office
1. Authority to cancel, postpone,
or terminate games is vested only in the Commissioner and the League President
(other League office representatives and referees may suspend play temporarily;
see point No. 3 under this section and point No. 1 under "Authority of
Referee" below). The following definitions apply:
• Cancel. To cancel a game is to
nullify it either before or after it begins and to make no provision for
rescheduling it or for including its score or
other performance statistics in League
records.
• Postpone. To postpone a game is
(a) to defer its starting time to a later date, or (b) to suspend it after
play has begun and to make provision to resume at a later date with all
scores and other performance statistics up to the point of postponement
added to those achieved in the resumed portion of the game.
• Terminate. To terminate a game
is to end it short of a full 60 minutes of play, to record it officially
as a completed game, and to make no provision to resume it at a later date.
The Commissioner or League President may terminate a game in an emergency
if, in his opinion, it is reasonable to project that its resumption (a)
would not change its ultimate result or (b) would not adversely affect
any other interteam competitive issue.
• Forfeit. The Commissioner, (except
in cases of disciplinary action; see last section on "Removing Team from
Field"), League President, and their representatives, including referees,
are not authorized unilaterally to declare forfeits. A forfeit occurs only
when a game is not played because of the failure or refusal of one team
to participate. In that event, the other team, if ready and willing to
play, is the winner by a score of 2-0.
2. If an emergency arises that may
require cancellation, postponement, or termination (see above), the highest
ranking representative from the Commissioner’s office working the game
in a "control" capacity will consult with the Commissioner, League President,
or game-day duty officer designated by the League (by telephone, if that
person is not in attendance) concerning such decision. If circumstances
warrant, the League representative should also attempt to consult with
the weather bureau and with appropriate security personnel of the League,
club, stadium, and local authorities. If no representative from the Commissioner’s
office is working the game in a "control" capacity, the referee will be
in charge (see "Authority of Referee" below).
3. In circumstances where safety
is of immediate concern, the Commissioner’s-office representative may,
after consulting with the referee, authorize a temporary suspension in
play and, if warranted, removal of the participants from the playing field.
The representative should be mindful of the safety of spectators, players,
game officials, nonplayer personnel in the bench areas, and other field-level
personnel such as photographers and cheerleaders.
4. If possible, the League-office
representative should consult with authorized representatives of the two
participating clubs before any decision involving cancellation, postponement,
or termination is made by the Commissioner or League President.
5. If the Commissioner or League
President decides to cancel, postpone, or terminate a game, his representative
at the game or the game-day duty officer will then determine the method(s)
for announcing such decision, e.g., by public-address announcement over
referee’s wireless microphone, by public-address announcement by home club,
or by communication to radio, television, and other news media.
Authority of Referee
1. If a referee determines that an
emergency warrants immediate removal of participants from the playing field
for safety reasons, he may do so on his own authority. If, however, circumstances
allow him the time, he must reach the highest ranking full-time League
office representative working at the game in a "control" capacity or the
game-day duty officer designated by the League (by telephone, if that person
is not in attendance) and discuss the actual or potential emergency with
such representative or duty officer. That representative or duty officer
then will make the final decision on removal of participants from the field
or obtain a decision from the Commissioner or League President.
2. If a referee removes participants
from the playing field under No. 1 above, he may order them to their respective
bench areas or to their locker rooms, whichever is appropriate in the circumstances.
3. After appropriate consultation
under No. 1 above, the referee must advise the two participating head coaches
of the nature of the emergency and the action contemplated (if the decision
has not yet been reached) or of the final decision.
4. The referee must not, before a
decision is reached, make an announcement on his microphone concerning
the possibility of a cancellation, postponement, or termination unless
instructed to do so by an appropriate representative of the Commissioner’s
office.
5. The referee must not discuss a
forfeit with head coaches or club personnel and must not use that term
over the referee’s microphone (see definition of forfeit under No. 1 of
"Authority of Commissioner’s Office" above).
6. The referee must not assess an
unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty on the home team for actions of fans that
cause or contribute to an emergency.
7. The referee should be mindful
of the safety of not only players and officials, but also of the spectators
and other nonparticipants.
8. If an emergency involves spectator
interference (for example, nonparticipants on the field or thrown objects),
the referee immediately should contact the appropriate club or League representative
for additional security assistance, including, if applicable, involvement
of the League’s security representative(s) assigned to the game.
9. The referee may order the resumption
of play when he deems conditions safe for all concerned and, if circumstances
warrant, after consultation with appropriate representatives of the Commissioner’s
office.
10. Under no circumstances is the
referee authorized to cancel, postpone, terminate, or declare forfeiture
of a game unilaterally.
Procedures for Starting and Resuming
Games
Subject to the points of authority
listed above, League personnel and referees will be guided by the following
procedures for starting and resuming games that are affected by emergencies.
1. If, because of an emergency, a
regular-season or postseason game is not started at its scheduled time
and cannot be played at any later time that same day, the game nevertheless
must be played on a subsequent date to be determined by the Commissioner.
2. If an emergency threatens to occur
during the playing of a game (for example, an incoming tropical storm),
the starting time of the game will not be moved to an earlier time unless
there is clearly sufficient time to make an orderly change.
3. All games that are suspended temporarily
and resumed on the same day, and all suspended games that are postponed
to a later date, will be resumed at the point of suspension. On suspension,
the referee will call timeout and make a record of the following: team
possessing the ball, direction in which its offense was headed, position
of the ball on the field, down, distance, period, time remaining in the
period, and any other pertinent information required for an orderly and
equitable resumption of play.
4. For regular-season postponements,
the Commissioner will make every effort to set the game for no later than
two days after its originally scheduled date and at the same site. If unable
to schedule at the same site, he will select an appropriate alternative
site. If it is impossible to schedule the game within two days after its
original date, the Commissioner will attempt to schedule it on the Tuesday
of the next calendar week. The Commissioner will keep in mind the potential
for competitive inequities if one or both of the involved clubs has already
been scheduled for a game close to the Tuesday of that week (for example,
a Thursday game).
5. For postseason postponements,
the Commissioner will make every effort to set the game as soon as possible
after its originally scheduled date and at the same site. If unable to
schedule at the same site, he will select an appropriate alternative site.
6. Whenever postponement is attributable
to negligence by a club, the negligent club is responsible for all home
club costs and expenses, including, subject to approval by the Commissioner,
gate receipts and television-contract income. [See Section 19.11 (C) of
the NFL Constitution and Bylaws.]
7. Each home club is strictly responsible
for having the playing surface of its stadium well maintained and suitable
for NFL play.
Unfair Acts
Commissioner’s Authority
The Commissioner has sole authority
to investigate and to take appropriate disciplinary or corrective measures
if any club action, nonparticipant interference, or emergency occurs in
an NFL game which he deems so unfair or outside the accepted tactics encountered
in professional football that such action has a major effect on the result
of a game.
No Club Protests
The authority and measures provided
for in this section (UNFAIR ACTS) do not constitute a protest machinery
for NFL clubs to dispute the result of a game. The Commissioner will conduct
an investigation under this section only to review an act or occurrence
that he deems so unfair that the result of the game in question may be
inequitable to one of the participating teams. The Commissioner will not
apply his authority under this section when a club registers a complaint
concerning judgmental errors or routine errors of omission by game officials.
Games involving such complaints will continue to stand as completed.
Penalties for Unfair Acts
The Commissioner’s powers under this
section (UNFAIR ACTS) include the imposition of monetary fines and draft
choice forfeitures, suspension of persons involved, and, if appropriate,
the reversal of a game’s result or the rescheduling of a game, either from
the beginning or from the point at which the extraordinary act occurred.
In the event of rescheduling a game, the Commissioner will be guided by
the procedures specified above ("Procedures for Starting and Resuming Games"
under EMERGENCIES). In all cases, the Commissioner will conduct a full
investigation, including the opportunity for hearings, use of game videotape,
and any other procedures he deems appropriate.
Removing Team from Field
No player, coach, or other person
affiliated with a club may remove that club’s team from the field during
the playing of any game, including preseason, except at the direction of
the referee. Any club violating this rule will be subject to disciplinary
action by the Commissioner, including possible game forfeiture and sole
liability for financial losses suffered by the opposing club and any other
affected member clubs of the League. [See Section 9.1 (E) of the NFL Constitution
and Bylaws.]