List of English Gridiron Penalties:
Blocking below the waist (offense):
- An illegal block, from any direction, below the waist by any defensive player or by an offensive player under certain situations, by any player after change of possession, by any player in high school with certain exceptions. Sometimes incorrectly referred to as a "chop block".
- Signal = Both hands brought down, wrists turned inward, in a chopping motion across the front of the thighs.
- Result = 15m; automatic first down if committed by the defense (penalty also counts regardless of how many yards the offense gained).
- A blocker contacting a non-ballcarrying member of the opposing team from behind and above the waist
- Signal = One arm extended horizontally in front of the body, palm facing outward. The other hand grasps the first hand's wrist and pushes outward.
- Result = 10m.
- An offensive player tries to cut block a defensive player that is already being blocked by another offensive player. The second block may need to be below the thigh or knee, depending on the code.
- Signal = Arms extended alongside the body, palms facing outward, then moving in to the upper thigh in a chopping motion.
- Result = 15m (if it is in the end zone the play will be ruled a safety); automatic first down if committed by defense (penalty also counts regardless of how many yards the offense gained).
- A blocker contacting a non-ballcarrying opponent from behind and at or below the waist
- Signal = Chopping the back of one thigh with the hand.
- Result = 15m; automatic first down if committed by defense.
- Any action which delays the next play. On offense, this means failing to snap the ball before the play clock reaches zero. It may also include spiking the ball.
- On defense, it occurs when a player hinders the offense in hurrying to make the next snap. This happens most often in the last two minutes of a half when the offense is trying to go down the field in a hurry. The defense can also be flagged for a delay of game if a player spikes the ball after the end of a play.
- On special teams, it happens when the return team runs after signaling for a fair catch, or the defense does not unpile in a timely manner after the play ends.
- Signal = Upper arms extended out from the body, forearms bent toward the opposite arm, such that the arms lie on top of one another or that each arm touches the opposite shoulder.
- Result = 5m.
- Before the snap, a defensive player illegally crosses the line of scrimmage and makes contact with an opponent or has a clear path to the quarterback. In high school, this includes any crossing of the neutral zone by either team, whether contact is made or not. The play is not allowed to begin.
- Signal = Two hands placed on the hips.
- Result = 5m.
- Any player in the game without necessary safety equipment (mouthpiece, pads), without chin straps properly fastened or in violation of certain clothing rules (e.g. sock requirements).
- Signal = One hand placed on the back of the head.
- Result = Timeout charged against the offending player's team.
- An offensive player illegally moves after lining up for—but prior to—the snap. Since the ball is dead, the down does not begin.
- Any player who moves after he has gotten in his set position before the snap in a way that simulates the start of the play.
- Signal = Two arms in front of chest horizontally with closed fists "rolling" around each other (same signal that basketball referees use to signal traveling).
- Result = 5m.
- The act of banging one's helmet into the helmet of another player. Can also result in a fine and/or suspension.
- Result = 15m; automatic first down if committed by defense (penalty also counts regardless of how many yards the offense gained).
- Illegally grasping or pulling an opponent other than the ball carrier while attempting to ward off a block or cover a receiver. One of the most commonly called penalties.
- If a penalty for holding that occurred in the offense's end zone is accepted, a safety results.
- Signal = Raising one arm in front of the body (forearm is roughly vertical with elbow at bottom) and grabbing its wrist with the opposite hand
- Result (Offense) = 10m; If it is called in the end zone by the offense, it's an automatic safety.
- Result (Defense) = 5m and automatic first down.
- Illegally tackling another player by grabbing the inside of the ball carrier's shoulder pads or jersey from behind and yanking the player down.
- Signal = Raising one arm to the side of the body with the elbow bent, so that the closed fist is located near the neck. The fist is then pulled away, horizontally, from the neck.
- Result = 15m; automatic first down if committed by defense (penalty also counts regardless of how many yards the offense gained).
- Any intentional batting of a loose ball or ball in player possession.
- Batting is legal in certain limited situations, such as blocking a kick or deflecting a forward pass (any eligible player may bat a forward pass in any direction).
- Signal = Both arms extended the side, with the fingertips brought up to the shoulder of the respective arms.
- Result = 10m.
- 1) Fewer than 7 players line up on the line of scrimmage, or 2) more than 8 players in the backfield, or 3) eligible receivers fail to line up as the leftmost and rightmost players on the line, or 4) or when five properly numbered ineligible players fail to line up on the line.
- Signal = Two arms in front of chest with closed fists "rolling" around each other (same signal that basketball referees use to signal traveling).
- Result = 5m.
- A forward pass is thrown from past the line of scrimmage, after a change of possession, or when a second forward pass is thrown on the same play.
- Signal = One hand, flat, waved behind the small of the back.
- Result = 5m from the spot of the foul and loss of down (safety if the foul occurs in the end zone).
- Pushing or hitting a player on offense in the head or helmet.
- Signal = One open fist in a pushing motion to the referee's chin.
- Result (Offense) = 10m.
- Result (Defense) = 5m and automatic first down.
- A player in motion is moving forward at the time of the snap.
- Signal = One arm in front of chest, palm open and down, with the elbow out to the side, moved away from chest.
- Result = 5m.
- 16 or more players participate during the play, because the extra players either are not detected before the snap or enter during the play. Once the down begins, no further players may enter the field and participate, even if there are fewer than 15 players.
- Illegal participation is also called when an offensive player goes out of bounds (unless forced out by contact by the defense) and returns during the play.
- Signal = Two hands, palms down, touching the top of the head, with an elbow out to each side.
- Result = 5m.
- The team has 16 or more players in the huddle for a period of 3–5 seconds or twelve or more players in the formation before a play or a player is attempting to leave the field as the ball is snapped.
- Signal = two hands, palms down, touching the top of the head, with an elbow out to each side.
- Result = 5m.
- A forward pass first touches an ineligible receiver (an offensive lineman). If the ball is touched by the defenders first, any player may touch it.
- Signal = one hand held up to shoulders, fingertips touching the shoulders.
- Result = 5m and a loss of down.
- The ball, after the free kick, first touches a member of the kicking team prior to traveling 10m.
- This is most often seen on an onside kick where a member of the kicking team prematurely comes in contact with the ball in an attempt to recover it.
- Like illegal touching of a forward pass, if a defender (member of the receiving team) first touches the ball, any player may touch it.
- Signal = two hands held up to shoulders, fingertips touching the shoulders.
- Result = 5m, unless the illegal touching occurs inside the receiving team's 5 yard line. In that case, it is ruled a touchback.
- Illegal use of the hands against a player on offense while attempting to ward off a block, cover a receiver, or tackle a ball carrier. There are several restrictions on how a defender may initiate contact.
- Signal = One forearm vertically held in front of the body with an open fist facing away from the referee's chest.
- Result (Offense) = 10m.
- Result (Defense) = 5m and automatic first down.
- An ineligible receiver is past the line of scrimmage prior to a forward pass. Ineligible receivers must wait until the pass is thrown beyond the line of scrimmage (or touched) before moving past the line of scrimmage.
- This exception has been added to accommodate the screen pass, where a receiver (most often a back, but sometimes a tight end or wide receiver) catches a ball behind the line of scrimmage behind a "screen" of offensive linemen.
- Signal = One palm touching the top of the head with the elbow out to the side.
- Result = 5m.
- A forward pass is thrown intentionally incomplete so that the passer avoids loss of yardage or to conserve time. Not assessed if the ball is spiked. If the quarterback has moved outside of the area between his offensive tackles (the "tackle box" or more commonly called "the pocket"), there is no foul for grounding the ball if the quarterback throws the ball past the line of scrimmage.
- Signal = Both hands held out flat, facing each other, in front of the referee, moving down together diagonally roughly from one shoulder to the opposite hip.
- Result = 10m or spot of foul, whichever is farther from the original line of scrimmage, and loss of down. If the foul occurs in the end zone, the play is ruled a safety.
- A defender at least one meter in front of the line of scrimmage running forward and leaping in an attempt to block a field goal or a point-after try lands on other players on either team. The penalty is not called if the defender was within one yard of the line of scrimmage at the time of the snap.
- Signal = Same as Unsportsmanlike conduct, it is a subset of that penalty.
- Result = 15m penalty; automatic first down if committed by defense (penalty also counts regardless of how many yards the offense gained).
- A defensive player jumping or standing on a teammate or an opponent to block or attempt to block an opponent's kick.
- Signal = Same as Unsportsmanlike conduct, it is a subset of that penalty
- Result = 15 yard penalty and automatic first down.
- Before the snap, a defensive player (most often a lineman) jumps into the neutral zone and "startles" an offensive player, causing him to false start.
- Signal = Same as encroachment/offsides
- Result = 5m.
- A player from the kicking enters into the 5m buffer zone between the kicking team and the player receiving the punt. An unhandled ball from a place kick or punt may be legally recovered by the kicker. In such a case, the kicker is exempt from the No Yards rule.
- Signal = same as Illegal Touching of a Free Kick.
- Result = 5m (if the ball hits the ground before being touched) or 15m (if the ball doesn't hit the ground before being touched).
- A player is on the wrong side of the line of scrimmage when the ball is snapped. This foul occurs simultaneously with the snap. Unlike offensive players, defensive players are not compelled to come to a set position before the snap. If a defender jumps across the line but gets back to his side before the snap, there is no foul. In the case of an offside foul, play is not stopped, and the foul is announced at the conclusion of the play.
- Media covering the games call it a "free play" for the offense, as the non-offending team may decline the penalty and take the yardage gained on the play (and when the play works against them, like a turnover to the opposing team, the non-offending team can accept the penalty and retake possession of the ball) - unlike in the case of a false start foul against the offense, whereupon the play is immediately stopped by the officials.
- This foul is almost always committed by the defense (any offensive player that moves into the neutral zone after setting would be charged with a false start). However, it is possible for the offense to commit this foul. If an offensive player lines up in the neutral zone, an offside foul will be called against the offense.
- Signal = Two hands placed on the hips
- Result = 5m.
- Making physical contact with an intended receiver (intentional physical contact in NFL), after the ball has been thrown and before it has been touched by another player, in order to hinder or prevent him from catching a forward pass.
- (On offense, the restriction begins at the snap and continues until the ball is touched in order to prevent receivers from blocking defenders away from a passed ball.)
- Signal = Both arms extended in front of the body, palms upright, in a pushing motion
- Result (Offense) = 10m.
- Result (Defense) = spot of foul (or placement 1m away from goalline if the foul occurs in the end zone) and automatic first down.
- A conduct- or safety-related infraction. Includes unnecessary roughness, such as hitting a ball carrier after he is already out of bounds, "piling on" a ball carrier who is already down, or violent contact with an opponent who is away from and out of the play. If the officials decide that the action was particularly flagrant, the player in question can be ejected from the game.
- Signal = One arm extended from the body and bent at the elbow; the forearm is tilted at an angle, so the wrist is roughly in front of the collarbone but at a distance from the body. The other arm is brought down in a chopping motion, striking the first arm wrist-to-wrist.
- Result = 15m; automatic first down if committed by defense (penalty also counts regardless of how many yards the offense gained).
- A defender continues an effort to tackle or "hit" a passer after the passer has already thrown a pass. A defender is allowed to take one step after the ball is thrown; a defender is penalized if he hits the passer having taken two or more steps after the ball leaves the passer's hand, or if the passer is hit above the shoulders, or if the passer is targeted using the crown of the helmet.)
- Signal = Open-fist arm extended above same-side shoulder, brought diagonally downward towards the opposite side waist.
- Result = 15m and an automatic first down (penalty also counts regardless of how many yards the offense gained).
- A defender, having missed an attempt to block a kick, tackles the kicker or otherwise runs into the kicker in a way that might injure the kicker or his vulnerable extended kicking leg. This protection is also extended to the holder of a place kick.
- Signal = Leg moved in a kicking motion preceded by the personal foul signal.
- Result = 15m and an automatic first down.
- On a punt or field goal attempt, the center is allowed to regain his balance and assume a protective position before he is contacted by the defense.
- Signal = Same as Roughing the Passer.
- Result = 15m and an automatic first down
- On a kicking play where the defense fails to touch ("block") the kicked ball, the defense runs into the kicker/punter. If such an act occurs but is not intentional, this foul is assessed. If intentional, the personal foul of roughing the kicker is assessed instead.
- Signal = Extending one leg, straight, up to about a 20 degree angle in front of the body. If the penalty is roughing the kicker, preceded by the personal foul signal.
- Result = 5m.
- A player is outside of the team box, a coach is outside the coaches' box (along the sideline in front of the team box), or too many coaches are in the coaches' box.
- Signal = Same as Unsportsmanlike Conduct.
- Result = No yardage (first infraction—warning); 5m (second infraction—interference); 15m (subsequent infractions—unsportsmanlike conduct, interference).
- Tackling or otherwise contacting an opponent with one's helmet. (This technique is illegal because of the risk of neck injuries to the tackler.)
- Signal = Arm extended, bent at the elbow, touching the side of his head with a closed fist.
- Result = 15m; automatic first down if committed by defense (penalty also counts regardless of how many yards the offense gained).
- A defensive player tackles with the crown of his helmet, by initiating contact to the opponent's head above the player's neck, or makes helmet-to-helmet collision.
- Signal = Same as Personal Foul (one arm bent to form a triangle, fist pointing at head).
- Result = 15m.
- Any person (usually a player but occasionally a coach and very rarely one or more spectators) acts or speaks in a manner deemed to be intentionally harmful or especially objectionable by the game officials, or by rule. Unsportsmanlike conduct is a non-contact foul; if contact is involved it becomes a personal foul. Examples include verbal abuse of officials and taunting.
- Signal = Both arms extended to the sides perpendicular to the body with open fists, palms down.
- Result = 15m; automatic first down if committed by defense (penalty also counts regardless of how many yards the offense gained).