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Penalties

Rule violations are punished with penalties. Most penalties result in moving the football either towards the endzone in the case of a defensive penalty, or away from the endzone in the case of an offensive penalty. Some defensive penalties give the offense an automatic first down. In addition, if a penalty gives the offensive team enough yardage to gain a first down, the first down is automatically given. If a penalty occurs during a play, an official throws a yellow flag near the spot of the foul. When the play is over, the team that did not commit the penalty has the option of taking either the penalty or the result of the play. For example, say a defensive player commits an offsides penalty on first down by passing the line of scrimmage before the snap, and the offense gains eight yards on the play. The team with the ball has the option of taking the penalty and repeat the first down with five yards to go, or declining the penalty and scrimmaging with 2nd and 2.

Some common penalties

False start: A player on the offense, other than a back moving parallel to the line of scrimmage, moves just prior to the snap. Five yards.

Offsides: A player is on the wrong side of the ball at the start of a play. Five yards. Similar fouls: Touching an opponent before the snap is encroachment; lining up alongside the football instead of behind it is a neutral zone infraction.

Holding: A blocker unfairly impedes a would-be tackler or pass receiver, by grabbing the player's jersey, hooking, or tackling. Ten yards on offense or during a change of possession, five yards on defense and automatic first down. If the penalty occurred beyond the line of scrimmage, the penalty would be enforced from the spot of the foul.

Pass interference: After a pass is launched into the air, a defender pushes, hooks, grabs, or knocks down a would-be pass receiver, or if the receiver does the same to the defender to prevent an interception. First down at the spot of the foul if against the defense (15 yards from the previous spot in college football), or ten yards from the previous spot if against the offense. Similar penalties before a pass are called as holding or illegal contact.

Facemask: A player places his hand on an opponent's facemask during a play. Five yards, or fifteen (a personal foul) if the player hooks his fingers into the facemask or pulls on it.

Roughing the passer/kicker: A player places a hard hit on a passer long enough after a pass has been thrown to consider the contact avoidable, or places a hard hit on a punter or place kicker. Fifteen yards and automatic first down.

Running into the kicker: A lighter contact on a kicker, especially after the kick has been made. Five yards.

Intentional grounding: The passer throws a forward pass not near any eligible receiver, without first leaving the area behind where the blocking linemen were standing before the snap (the "pocket"), or the passer throws a forward pass outside of the pocket which does not reach the original line of scrimmage and is not near any eligible receiver. Ten yards plus loss of down, except if the penalty occurred in the end zone, then it is ruled a safety, and the defense is awarded 2 points. In college football and high school football, the defense is also credited with a quarterback sack. Note that spiking the ball to stop the clock is exempt from this.

Ineligible receiver downfield: On every play the offense must have 7 players on the line of scrimmage, the player furthest from the ball on each side are eligible receivers; the interior five players are considered ineligible to receive passes. This penalty is called if one of the 5 interior players is more than five yards past the line of scrimmage during a forward pass.

Dead ball personal foul: After the play is blown dead, a player tackles or makes rough contact with a player on the other team. Fifteen yards, automatic first down if on defense.

Unnecessary roughness: A catch-all for rough play that doesn't merit its own foul. An example is an avoidable late hit on a ball carrier who has run out of bounds. Fifteen yards.

Unsportsmanlike conduct: Another catch-all call, commonly used for taunting, excessive celebration after a touchdown, and certain banned forms of pantomime (like slashing the throat). Fifteen yards.