How to Signal Intentional Grounding & Pass Interference

Video Transcript

Hello, my name is Brian Currier and I'm here on behalf of Expert Village. I'm here to talk about football penalties and the hand signals that the officials give to indicate the penalties. A number of the penalties have different rules associated with them depending upon the level of football you're talking about, whether it's high school, college, or the NFL. As much as possible, we'll indicate where those differences are. During a passing play, the quarterback must throw the ball into an area where a receiver has run his route. He may not throw the ball into the ground in order to avoid a sack or a tackle behind the line of scrimmage. In the NFL, quarterbacks are now permitted to role out of the pocket and throw the ball into the ground or out of bounds to avoid a tackle behind the line of scrimmage if they've moved beyond where their offensive tackles started the play. Doing so would not be considered intentional grounding. The penalty for intentional grounding carries a 10 yard assessment and the signal is (video demo, arms outstretched, about a foot apart, moving together at an angle in front of body). Offensive receivers are not permitted to push, shove, or otherwise impede defensive players from making a play on the ball when the ball is in the air. The penalty for offensive pass interference is 10 yards and the signal is (video demo, both hands, palms facing outward, fingers up, pushing away from body).

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