Pass Interference - Variations

Variations

Rules for pass interference differ between American and Canadian football:

• Pass interference rules in American high school and college football clearly cover only forward passes that travel beyond the neutral zone. Although ESPN.com columnist Gregg Easterbrook stated in 2008 that National Football League (NFL) pass interference rules apply throughout the field of play, no matter where the intended receiver is located, the NFL itself says otherwise, stating on its official site that "there can be no pass interference at or behind the line of scrimmage". In Canadian football, pass interference rules are applied throughout the field of play. This leads to differences in the application of the rule on screen passes in which the intended receiver is behind the line of scrimmage:
  • A defender who makes contact with an intended receiver behind the line of scrimmage cannot be called for pass interference at any level of American football, although he may still be guilty of a different foul. The NFL is specific about which foul could be called in that situation, stating that "defensive actions such as tackling a receiver can still result in a 5-yard penalty for defensive holding, if accepted." In the same situation in Canadian football, the defender can be called for pass interference if his contact is deemed illegal.
  • Offensive pass interference cannot be called behind the line of scrimmage in American football. In Canadian football, although the pass interference rule applies, offensive players are explicitly allowed to interfere with a defender attempting to intercept a screen pass (within certain limitations).
• If the pass is deemed to be "uncatchable", pass interference rules do not apply in American college football or the NFL, and starting with the 2010 season they do not apply in Canada. This rule does not apply in American high school football.

In the NFL, the defender may make continuous contact with receiver within the first five yards of the line of scrimmage. Anything after that is penalized as illegal contact. Pass interference is called if the defensive player contacts the offensive player while he is trying to catch the pass. Inadvertent contact, though, is not penalized.

In high school and college, the defender may make contact with the receiver as long as the receiver is in front of the defender. These provisions end when the pass is in the air.

If the incident occurred on a special teams fake play, the rule does not apply under NFL rules.