When The Lid Comes Off FOOTBALL RULES REGARDING HELMETS

U.S. 62, NW — In an effort to continue minimizing the risk of injury in high school football, additional rules went into effect last season in Arkansas to address helmets coming off players’ heads during games.

According to a press release from the Arkansas Activities Association, an illegal personal contact foul was added by the National Federation of State High School Associations Football Rules Committee. (Rule 9-4-3) states that “no player or nonplayer shall initiate contact with an opposing player whose helmet has come completely off.”

In addition, a new listing in Rule 9-6-4 states that it is illegal participation “for a player whose helmet comes completely off during a down to continue to participate beyond the immediate action in which the player is engaged.”

In explaining how this applies to a ball carrier in the act of running, whose helmet has been stripped off, Farmington coach Mike Adams said the player cannot continue to run or throw the ball after his helmet has come off.

“The play is dead,” Adams said.

If a ball-carrier’s helmet comes off and he is not down by contact, defenders are prohibited by rule from tackling him or pushing him out of bounds.

In 2011, rules changes required players to sit out one play if their helmet comes off while the ball is live.

“With its continued focus on risk minimization, the committee determined that a helmetless player shall not block, tackle or otherwise participate beyond the immediate action in which the player is engaged when the helmet came completely off,” said Bob Colgate, NFHS director of sports and sports medicine. “The penalty would be a live-ball, basicspot foul.”

The committee also added language to Rule 3-5-10 to clarify that if the helmet comes completely off during the down or subsequent dead- ball action related to the down — and is not directly attributable to a foul by the opponent — the player must leave the game for at least one down, with the exception of halftime or overtime intermission. When this occurs, an official’s timeout shall be called.

“Player safety has been and will continue to be the top priority for members of the NFHS Football Rules Committee,” said Brad Garrett, chair of the NFHS Football Rules Committee and assistant executive director of the Oregon School Activities Association.

Adams reminded Farmington players on media day of the modified rule about wearing towels.

“You can’t have your number on your towel,” Adams said. “Everybody’s towel has to be the same color.”

FILE PHOTOS Football rule changes have been implemented to protect players whose helmets come off, such as what happened on this play, involving Drew Sugg, of Prairie Grove, in 2011.

Under the 2012 rule changes, Sugg could legally continue to block the opponent he was engaged with when his helmet came off.

Stipulations of football rules state a player cannot get up and make a second block on the same play after losing his helmet without incurring a penalty.