By Bill Riccio, Jr
The football season is winding down. The college season ended – almost – with the myriad of bowl games that started almost immediately after the league championships in the first week of December. The finale is next week, with the National Championship weekend for both the FCS and FBS, the Football Championship Subdivision (once Div. IAA) and the Football Bowl Subdivision (once Div. I). The high school season is over, and has been since the CIAC championships, Dec. 11.
Believe it or not, in the next few weeks, the rules makers of the high school game, the National Federation of State High School Association’s Rules Committee, meets in Indianapolis, Jan. 23-25. That three-day session will determine if any new rules will be introduced into the game beginning Aug. 1. That is the date the new rules officially take effect with many states having practices begin as early as July because of schools opening in early August.
The Rules Committee comprises the 49 states that play under NFHS rules (Texas plays under the NCAA code), and the District of Columbia. Representatives from those states and DC, along with a representative of the NFHS Coaches and Officials Associations meet each year at the end of January to determine rules changes. It is not all fun and games. It is a very intense and thorough process. For a decade, this writer was part of that group, first as a voting member, representing the Officials Association, and then as a non-voting member as part of the Officials Manual Committee (the book of mechanics on how the game is officiated).
The first thing to understand about the NFHS game is the philosophy of who the game is designed to accommodate: high school-aged players. The second thing to understand is most of those players will not play at higher levels, so the game is geared toward a broader talent pool. Rules that are used at higher levels might not be applicable to the high school game. This second point is very much in the minds of the representatives as each proposal is vetted, and over the years, changes were made that were part of that give-and-take.
During those days, medical reports are heard via the national medical subcommittee, injury statistics outlined, and, many times, recommendations are made as to rules changes or tweaks. During my time, concussions were the major topic, and rules added or adjusted to mitigate the potential. The blind-side block rule is an example, a rule taken up by both the NCAA and NFL since it was introduced in 2013.
There are six subcommittees with about eight or nine members each, ranging from “equipment” to “competition.” The proposals, which must be in by Nov. 1, are then meted out to the subcommittees for initial vetting, and the late morning session the first day culls through those proposals. During my term as few as 11 and as many as 46 proposals were reviewed.
Some do not make it past the first meeting and are immediately voted down by the subcommittee. Seldom does a rule, once voted out by the subcommittee come to the floor, but “minority reports” do happen, and sometimes are voted to the floor by the full body. Many of the proposals are duplicates and are melded into one proposal.
Three answers to questions are necessary for passage: Does it maintain the balance of the game between offense and defense? Does it promote safety? Can it be officiated?
That first question has resulted in some differences from the other codes that sometimes confuse fans. For example, the NFHS code does not allow a passer to throw the ball away if he is outside the Tackle Box as in the NCAA and NFL. The reason: it takes a good play away from the defense.
Sometimes this rule results in odd compromises.
During my term, each year there were proposals to eliminate the loss of down for offensive pass interference, while keeping the automatic first down for DPI. A strong minority opposed this, saying the loss of down and automatic first down were two sides of the same coin, and harm the balance. For four straight years the rule was short the necessary 38 to be passed. Finally, in 2012 a rule eliminating both the loss of down and automatic first down was proposed – and was accepted to the surprise of many. That is the rule we have today.
Once the rules are finalized by two-thirds vote on the last day, the rules are not done going through the vetting process. The editorial committee tweaks the verbiage, while a team of lawyers reviews the alterations for any problems that might result. Once it goes through those steps it is put into the rulebook.
So, the next time you wonder why the high school game does not have some of the same rules as other versions of football, understand that the NFHS Rules Committee is thinking of a game played by student-athletes between 14-18, and of disparate talent levels. Then you can understand the mindset of those who are charged with keeping the game safe.