NFL Illegal Hits and Penalties

In the 2010 football season, the National Football League started cracking down on players for illegal hits. The question of legality falls on where the players make contact with each other and whether the player who received the hit was "defenseless." Players usually receive a fine for such hits. In a video released in October 2010 by the NFL to players, Ray Anderson, executive vice president of football operations, said illegal hits will lead to suspensions. Although no players were suspended last season, the number of fines increased.

  1. Hits to Head and Neck

    • NFL officials are concerned about illegal hits to the head and neck region. Usually they come from players' forearms, shoulders or helmets. NFL officials said these types of hits are dangerous for both the player who takes the hit and the one who creates it, a big part of the reason they are cracking down. Whether or not a player was "defenseless" will also help determine the hit's legality.

    Defenseless Players

    • Anderson said illegal head and neck hits to "defenseless" players must stop. In a general sense, a defenseless player is one who does not have control of the ball.

      More specifically, the NFL has broadened the definition of this type of player: a quarterback in the act of throwing, a receiver trying to catch a pass, a runner in the grasp of tacklers and having his forward progress stopped, a player fielding a punt or kickoff, a kicker or punter during the kick, a quarterback at anytime after change of possession, a receiver who receives a blind-side block, and a player already on the ground.

    Illegal Versus Legal

    • Hits to the head and neck of defenseless players are considered illegal. If a player launches at another, attempting to hit them in a legal region but makes initial contact with their head or neck, that is illegal.

      Anderson pointed out several examples of legal hits in the NFL video. He showed many hits where players made contact with their helmets into the other player's chest. This would be a legal play.

    Fines and Suspensions

    • Illegal hits, once punishable by fines, are now suspension worthy. The NFL held off on fully instituting the policy in October 2010 though so players would have time to get used to the change. The NFL also announced in May 2011 that teams -- not just players -- will face fines for these incidents under a new policy.