Penalty
What it is
A penalty is a punishment for breaking a rule. An official throws a yellow flag, and after the play the referee announces what happened and how many yards are lost.
In a game
After the flag the other team may accept the penalty or decline it, depending on what is best for them. Common penalties are false start (5 yards, the offense moved before the snap), offside (5 yards, a defender was across the line at the snap), holding (10 yards for the offense, 5 and an automatic first down for the defense), pass interference (the ball goes to the spot of the foul, plus a first down if the defense did it) and face mask (15 yards).
More detail
Some penalties repeat the down and some also take away a down. A penalty that would move the ball more than half the distance to the goal moves it only half the distance. Penalties can cancel each other out if both teams commit a foul on the same play.
Animated play
Blue circles are the team with the ball. X marks the other team. The yellow oval is the ball.
- Football has many rules about how players may move and make contact. Breaking one is a penalty.
- An official sees it and throws a yellow flag onto the field.
- After the play the officials explain the penalty. The team that did not break the rule can accept it or decline it, whichever helps it more.
- Most penalties move the ball toward the offender’s own goal. Some also cost the offense a down or give the defense a free first down.
- Here the offense moved before the snap. That is a false start: five yards back, and the same down is replayed.
All the penalties
Pick a penalty to see exactly what it is and how the officials enforce it. Some fouls can be committed by more than one unit, so they appear in more than one list.
Offensive penalties
The offense does not snap the ball before the play clock runs out.
A blocker grabs, hooks or pulls a defender to stop him, instead of blocking with open hands in front of the body.
The offense lines up in a way the rules do not allow. At least seven players must be on the line of scrimmage, and the players at both ends of that line must be eligible receivers.
Only one offensive player may move before the snap, and he must not be running toward the line of scrimmage when the ball is snapped. A second player moving, or a motion player running forward at the snap, is illegal motion.
Several offensive players change positions before the snap and do not all come to a stop, set, for a full second before the ball is snapped.
On a forward pass, an offensive lineman or another player who may not catch passes runs more than one yard past the line of scrimmage before the ball is thrown.
On a forward pass, a receiver pushes off or blocks a defender so that the defender cannot play the ball.
The quarterback throws the ball away, with no eligible receiver in a position to catch it, to avoid being sacked.
A forward pass is thrown from beyond the line of scrimmage, or a team throws a second forward pass on the same play.
Two offensive players block the same defender at the same time, one high and one low, or one blocker hits a defender at the legs while another is engaged with him. It is a dangerous block that can injure the knees.
A player blocks an opponent from behind at or below the knees, when the opponent is not the ball carrier.
A player pushes an opponent from behind, above the knees, when the opponent is not the ball carrier.
A player grabs or twists the face mask of an opponent’s helmet.
A catch-all personal foul for hits beyond what the rules allow, such as hitting a player after the whistle, hitting a defenseless player, or hitting a player who is out of bounds.
A player behaves in a way that is not allowed, such as abusive language to an official or an opponent, or fighting.
A player uses words or gestures that insult or provoke an opponent, such as standing over a player he has just tackled or blocked.
A player lowers his head and makes contact with an opponent using the crown or top of his helmet.
A player moves toward his own end line and blocks an opponent who cannot see him coming, using a forearm, shoulder or helmet to hit him.
A team has more than 11 players on the field at the snap.
Defensive penalties
The offense does not snap the ball before the play clock runs out.
A player blocks an opponent from behind at or below the knees, when the opponent is not the ball carrier.
A player pushes an opponent from behind, above the knees, when the opponent is not the ball carrier.
A player grabs or twists the face mask of an opponent’s helmet.
A catch-all personal foul for hits beyond what the rules allow, such as hitting a player after the whistle, hitting a defenseless player, or hitting a player who is out of bounds.
A player behaves in a way that is not allowed, such as abusive language to an official or an opponent, or fighting.
A player uses words or gestures that insult or provoke an opponent, such as standing over a player he has just tackled or blocked.
A tackler grabs the inside back or side of the collar of the runner’s shoulder pads or jersey and pulls him down.
A tackler wraps up the runner, then swivels his hips and drops his weight onto the runner’s legs.
A player lowers his head and makes contact with an opponent using the crown or top of his helmet.
A player moves toward his own end line and blocks an opponent who cannot see him coming, using a forearm, shoulder or helmet to hit him.
A team has more than 11 players on the field at the snap.
A defensive player is past the line of scrimmage when the ball is snapped.
A defender crosses the line of scrimmage and makes contact with an offensive player or the ball before the snap.
A defender moves into the neutral zone before the snap and causes an offensive player to react, such as flinching or jumping.
A defender grabs or restricts an offensive player who is not the ball carrier, such as a receiver, in a way that stops him from getting into his route.
A defender hits or holds an eligible receiver more than five yards past the line of scrimmage, before the pass is thrown.
A defender interferes with a receiver’s chance to catch a forward pass, by hitting, grabbing or blocking him before the ball arrives.
A defender hits the quarterback after he has thrown the ball, hits him high or low, or drives his full body weight onto him as he brings him down.
Special teams penalties
A blocker grabs, hooks or pulls a defender to stop him, instead of blocking with open hands in front of the body.
The offense lines up in a way the rules do not allow. At least seven players must be on the line of scrimmage, and the players at both ends of that line must be eligible receivers.
Two offensive players block the same defender at the same time, one high and one low, or one blocker hits a defender at the legs while another is engaged with him. It is a dangerous block that can injure the knees.
A player blocks an opponent from behind at or below the knees, when the opponent is not the ball carrier.
A player pushes an opponent from behind, above the knees, when the opponent is not the ball carrier.
A player grabs or twists the face mask of an opponent’s helmet.
A catch-all personal foul for hits beyond what the rules allow, such as hitting a player after the whistle, hitting a defenseless player, or hitting a player who is out of bounds.
A player behaves in a way that is not allowed, such as abusive language to an official or an opponent, or fighting.
A player uses words or gestures that insult or provoke an opponent, such as standing over a player he has just tackled or blocked.
A tackler grabs the inside back or side of the collar of the runner’s shoulder pads or jersey and pulls him down.
A tackler wraps up the runner, then swivels his hips and drops his weight onto the runner’s legs.
A player lowers his head and makes contact with an opponent using the crown or top of his helmet.
A player moves toward his own end line and blocks an opponent who cannot see him coming, using a forearm, shoulder or helmet to hit him.
A team has more than 11 players on the field at the snap.
A defensive player is past the line of scrimmage when the ball is snapped.
A defender hits or runs into the kicker or punter in a way that is more than incidental contact, after he has kicked the ball.
A defender runs into the kicker or punter, but the contact is not violent and does not take him off his feet.
A defender makes illegal contact with the long snapper while he is in a vulnerable position right after snapping the ball on a kick.
A player on the kicking team interferes with the returner’s chance to catch a punt or kickoff, such as hitting him before the ball arrives.
A returner makes a motion that looks like a fair catch signal but is not a proper one, which could make the kicking team stop its coverage.
A player on the kick-blocking team uses a teammate for support in order to jump higher, or leaps to block a field goal or an extra point.