Due to some events this past weekend, we have to actively take time out of our lives to go over rules and make everybody is clear on them. As a captain, you are 100% responsible for insuring that your players are completely up to date on the rules. We must go over these rules to keep our players safe and the atmosphere enjoyable. Please review the rules below going forward. After this past weekends’ events, we will be calling these much more strictly. **ANY EJECTION OCCURRING IN WEEK 5 WILL MERIT A SUSPENSION FROM THE PLAYOFFS AND ALL STAR EVENTS**

We rent a field from the city of Jamestown. They are not our fields so we must respect them and their wishes. If you cannot do this, we ask that you not participate.

Language Violations

We gave you guys an inch, and you took a mile. From this point on any cursing on the field, or on the sidelines will merit an automatic ejection. The Jamestown Athletic Complex is a family facility with great fields and in order to keep playing at these fields we must respect and abide by their rules. If you do not like the cursing rule or think it is stupid, do not participate in the league. We must keep the facility happy and in order to do so this is how things must be done.

Illegal Blocks

This is the biggest thing we have to go over. This past weekend an illegal block was thrown that spawned a bench-clearing scuffle. This is the type of thing that will get the TFFL removed from the Jamestown Athletic Complex indefinitely. That is why from now on any players who throw an illegal block will be automatically ejected from the game without warning (a couple of players were ejected on Saturday instantly for this). A LEGAL block is completely open handed and to the chest, an illegal block would be lowering your shoulder into a defender or in any form a crackback block. EVERYTHING MUST BE OPEN HANDED AND TO THE CHEST. Please note that sometimes these open handed blocks can take you to the ground, this is a contact flag football league. It is NOT full contact. If the block is open handed and to the chest, no flag will be thrown. If it not open handed and to the chest, the player will be instantly ejected.

Lowering Shoulder (Offensive Ballcarriers)

This is also something we’ve seen more of, that will now be on the same level as illegal blocks. When an offensive ball carrier is going down field with the ball, they need to make all possible arrangements to get past the defender by utilizing jukes or spin moves. This does NOT INCLUDE going through the defender but, if the defender gives the runner no option to go around him and does NOT make an attempt to grab his flags, a penalty will be thrown on the defender. A defender not giving the runner the option to go around him does NOT give the runner permission to lower his shoulder. Any lowering of the shoulder will be an EJECTION. A defensive player can attempt to impede the progress of the runner but MUST be going for the flags. Just getting his way to stop him, will be like a blocking foul as stated earlier.

Forcing a Offensive Player out of Bounds

If an offensive player is streaking down the sidelines, the smart play on defense is to push him out bounds. There is a legal way to do this and an ILLEGAL way to do this. Legally, the defender needs to guide the offensive player out of bounds, while making an attempt to grab his flag AT THE WAIST. If a player SHOVES a ballcarrier out of bounds in the chest/shoulder area, it will be a 15 yard penalty and if it’s malicious, it will be an automatic ejection. This is like a flagrant foul in basketball that is up to the referees’ discretion. Pushing the player out needs to be done at the waist and not trying to “blast them”.

Fighting

Zero tolerance rule. If you throw a punch, get involved in a scuffle (leave your sideline), or almost get into a fight (example: getting into a players’ face) you’ll be AUTOMATICALLY EJECTED. If you get ejected for fighting, or almost fighting you are done for the season without appeal.We will have an off duty police officer on site at the games from here on out, any player who throws a punch WILL HAVE CRIMINAL CHARGES PLACED AGAINST THEM. 

Other Notes

Now that we have the big stuff out of the way, just a couple small notes.

-All Celebrations are ok under two stipulations. 1.) No disrespectful taunting to the other team — 2.) If players from your sideline run onto the field to celebrate with the player, there will be a flag. Players already on the field are fine to run to the endzone and celebrate with the player. It becomes a mess when 15 extra players run onto the field.

-Defensive holding. The easy way to eliminate defensive holding is to wear football pants or tights instead of baggy shorts. Anything more than a 1 Mississippi count is defensive holding.

-Block in the back. Block in the backs are called as usual, we’re all smart enough to know what that is. If a defender spin moves INTO a blocker and they get blocked in the back, it is NOT a block in the back. If all you give a blocker is your back, it is your own fault. If you blow by a blocker and get pushed in the back, this IS A PENALTY on the blocker and will be called as such.

-Thank you, we only have to go over these rules as a result of less than 10 players who haven’t been playing in good nature. To the rest of the players who haven’t been playing with malicious intent or have played by the book…….THANK YOU.