Handing the Ball Forward
ARTICLE 6. No player may hand the ball forward except during a scrimmage down as follows:
a. A Team A back may hand the ball forward to another back only if both are behind their scrimmage line and the player handing the ball forward has not had their entire body beyond the neutral zone.
b. A Team A back behind their scrimmage line may hand the ball forward to a teammate who is on their scrimmage line at the snap, provided that teammate leaves their line position by a movement of both feet that faces that player toward their team’s end line and is at least two yards behind their scrimmage line when receiving the ball.
PENALTY—Five yards from the spot of the foul; also loss of a down if by Team A before team possession changes during a scrimmage down [S35 and S9].
Approved Ruling 7-1-6 I. Eligible receiver A83 is on the end of his scrimmage line and adjacent to the snapper in an unbalanced “T’’ formation. Quarterback A10 receives a handed snap and immediately conveys the ball to A83. RULING: If the movement of the ball is forward and it left A10’s hand before having been touched by A83, it is a legal forward pass. A83 may have turned sufficiently to receive a backward pass or handoff (legal); but if the action immediately followed the snap, it is not likely that a handoff would have had time to comply with the “turn’’ and “two yards behind the line’’ requirement.
