FOOTBALL RULES MEETING

At the football rules meeting held recently at the Murray Hill Hotel, New York, several important decisions were made as to the interpretations of rules. The meeting was made up of leading officials from all over the country together with the Central Board of Officials.

The most important decision of the meeting was, that if a forward pass is made from behind the offense's goal-line and strikes the ground before being touched, it is to be called a safety for the defense, regardless of whether the pass was made on the first or second down. It was also decided that the penalty for an illegal or incompleted forward pass, viz., a forward pass which strikes the ground before being touched, could not be declined by the offended side even if it was to its advantage.

As regards the ruling of the second paragraph of section 8, rule 6, it was decided that a touchdown could be made on a free kick from placement following a fair catch, if the kicking side should obtain the ball. Any kind of kick going behind the goal-line before being touched must be counted a touchback.

If a player returns to the game after having been taken out, a penalty of fifteen yards is exacted from his side. He is not, however, allowed to continue to play in the game. Changes of line-up between the halves must be reported to the referee, just as during play. Several other minor points were decided upon, the two most interesting of which were that a ball crossing the cross-bar on the bound from a drop kick counts a goal as much as if it crossed on the fly; and that a man rushing the ball out from behind his own goal-line cannot be forced back behind for a safety after once having crossed the line.