FOULS  AND
PENALTIES

A foul is any violation of a playing rule. When a team is charged with a foul, it loses 5, 10, or 15 yards, depending on the nature of the foul. The various fouls and the penalties for each are listed below:

FOUL                PENALTY

Assisting the runner                                                                                                Ten yards

Batting or punchirig loose ball                                                                             Fifteen yards

Butting, spearing, or ramming an opponent                                                     Fifteen yards

Clipping                                                                                                                  Fifteen yards

Crawling                                                                                                                      Five yards

Defensive holding                                                                                              Five yards plus

                                                                                                                            Automatic First down              

Delay of game at start of half                                                                                Fifteen yards

Encroachment                                                                                                            Five yards

Excessive number of time-outs                                                                                 Five yards

Failure to pause one second                                                                                                      

     after shift or huddle                                                                                              Five yards       

Fair catch interference                                                                                          Fifteen yards

False start                                                                                                                    Five yards

Forward pass out-of-bounds                                                                                Loss of down

Forward pass strikes ground,                                                                              Loss of down

         goal post or goal post crossbar                                                                                                             

Forward pass thrown beyond                                                    Five yards plus loss of down

the line of scrimmage                                                                                                                 

Forward pass thrown from                                                           Loss of down

behind the line of scrimmage        

 after ball once crossed line    

Forward pass touches ineligible                                                                       Loss of down

Receiver                                                                                                           

Grasping opponent's face mask                                        Five yards

Illegal blocking below the waist                                                   Fifteen yards

Illegal crackback block                                                                 Fifteen yards

Illegal formation                                                                               Five yards

Illegal motion                                                                                   Five yards

Illegal return                                                                                                             Five yards

Illegal shift                                                                                                                 Five yards

Illegal substitution                                                                                                   Five yards

Illegal use of hands                                                                                        Five yards plus

                                                                                        Automatic first down

Illegal use of hands by offense,                                                                               Ten yards

Holding                                                                                                            

Ineligible member of kicking                                                            Five yards

team downfield before ball is                                                                           

kicked                                                                                                              

Ineligible player downfield on                                                          Ten yards

passing down                                                                                                  

Intentionally kicking loose ball                                                                         Fifteen yards

Invalid fair catch signal                                                                                            Five yards

Kick-off out-of-bounds                                                                                             Five yards

Less than 7 players on offensive                                                                            Five yards

line at snap                                                                                                     

More than 11 players on field                                                                                Five yards

at snap                                                                                                            

More than one man in motion                                                          Five yards

at snap                                                                                                            

Offensive pass interference                                                                                     Ten yards
Offside                                                                                                                       Five yards
Piling on                                                                                                     Fifteen yards plus
                                                                                         automatic first down
Player out-of-bounds at snap                                                                                 Five yards
Pulling an opponent by face                                                        Fifteen yards
mask                                                                                                                
Roughing the kicker                                                            Fifteen yards plus
                                                                                         automatic first down
Roughing the passer                                                            Fifteen yards plus
                                                                                         automatic first down
Running into kicker                                                                                      Five yards plus
                                                                                         automatic first down
Second forward pass behind                                                                            Loss of down
the line                                                                                                            
Tripping                                                                                                                     Ten yards
Unnecessary roughness                                                              Fifteen yards
Unsportsmanlike conduct                                                                                Fifteen yards