Is Horse-Collar Tackle Illegal?

Rule Summary View Official Rule No player shall grab the inside collar of the back or the side of the shoulder pads or jersey, or grab the jersey at the name plate or above, and pull the runner toward the ground. This does not apply to a runner who is in the tackle box or to a quarterback who is in the pocket.

Why is a horse-collar tackle illegal?

The horse collar penalty is called when the tackling player grabs the ball carrier’s collar and pulls them toward the ground. A horse collar tackle is illegal due to the risk of injury to the neck.

When was horse-collar tackle banned?

2005
After being blamed for a series of major injuries in the 2004 season, the horse-collar tackle was banned from the NFL during the 2005 off-season. The rule forbidding it is often referred to in the press as “The Roy Williams Rule”.

Is a horse-collar tackle a personal foul?

The horse-collar rule first went into effect in college in 2008. The NFL made the horse-collar tackle a 15-yard personal foul in 2005, and it was known at first as the “Roy Williams Rule” after the former Cowboys safety.

Why do they call it a horse-collar tackle?

Horse Collar Tackle
This is because an actual horse collar is the part of a horse harness device used to distribute load around the horse’s neck and shoulders when pulling a wagon or plow—similar to the way a player’s neck and shoulders are grabbed on the tackle.

Is grabbing a jersey a horse collar?

A horse collar tackle is when a defender pulls a player down to the ground by the inside of the collar or the side of the shoulder pads or jersey.

Is Pulling hair a horse-collar tackle?

Tackling a player by the hair is legal, not a horse-collar tackle.

Is a horse-collar tackle legal in college football?

The NCAA banned the horse-collar tackle from college football.

Are clothesline tackles legal?

Blocks that occur in the back of the legs and below the knees, initiated below the waist, or clotheslines are also generally prohibited and players who use them are subject to much more severe penalties than other illegal tackles.

Can you tackle around the neck?

“A player must not tackle (or try to tackle) an opponent above the line of the shoulders even if the tackle starts below the line of the shoulders. A tackle around the opponent’s neck or head is dangerous play.”

Is it a penalty to tackle by hair?

A player’s hair is just as much in play as the rest of his body, and it is even legal to tackle a runner by the hair or a handful can be called a holding penalty.

Can you pull hair in the NFL 2022?

ruled that hair was part of a player’s uniform and therefore legal to grab in pursuit of a tackle. “I’ve been pulled by my hair a few times,” Jadeveon Clowney, then a linebacker with the Houston Texans, said after grabbing the locks of former Buffalo Bills running back Chris Ivory in a 2018 game.

Who invented horse-collar tackle?

The technique is most closely associated with Pro Bowl safety Roy Williams.

What is the point of a cowboy collar football?

The Cowboy Collar is a neck-roll system that combines a molded collar of polyethylene foam with a padded vest (Figure ​ 1). The collar is worn under the shoulder pads and is designed to engage the sides and rear of the helmet and reduce extreme cervical motion.

What are illegal tackles in American football?

forcibly hitting the defenseless player’s head or neck area with the helmet, facemask, forearm, or shoulder, even if the initial contact is lower than the player’s neck, and regardless of whether the defensive player also uses his arms to tackle the defenselessplayer by encircling or grasping him.

Is hair pulling legal in college football?

Incidental contact with a player’s hair may occur during blocking, but if the referees see it, a player will be penalized. Additionally if a player while tackling continues to hold and pull the hair of the ball carrier after the play is whistled dead by the referee, they will be penalized with a personal foul.

Are sling tackles allowed?

“Slinging” a player is strictly not permitted. A sling occurs when the actions of the tackler cause the player to be thrown to the ground after or during possession. A sling free kick will not be paid if the umpire deems that the tackler did not deliberately or aggressively try to throw the player to the ground.

Are dump tackles illegal?

The dump tackle is a tackling technique favored mainly by rugby league players. A player is guilty of misconduct if they “uses any dangerous throw when affecting a tackle,” which includes any lifting of the player being tackled beyond the horizontal (i.e., a spear tackle).

Are slide tackles illegal?

A slide tackle is a perfectly legal play. A foul can be called when the play is dangerous, like when the defender makes contact with the opponent first before the ball, or makes the tackle “cleats up”.

What makes a slide tackle illegal?

A slide tackle is a perfectly legal play. A foul can be called when the play is dangerous, like when the defender makes contact with the opponent first before the ball, or makes the tackle “cleats up”.

Is a horse collar a live ball foul?

Rule 9-4-3K:
Grab the inside back or side collar of either the shoulder pads or the jersey of the runner and subsequently pull (backward or sideward) that opponent to the ground (Horse-collar), even if possession is lost. The horse-collar foul is enforced as a live-ball foul.