New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-12-24
NEED NEW RULES
FOR FOOTBALL,
TUFTS DECLARES

Boston. Dec. 23.3"The inability OF
opponents TO decline a forward pass
penalty is peculiarly unjust rule &C
cording TO Nathan A. Tufts, noted big
game" referee. Here is what he has 20
say:
an the last half Of the Harvard Yale
game at New Haven last month Har-
ward forward passed from its own 20
ward line The pass travelled about
fifteen yards beyond the line Of scrlm..
mage. where the Yale man intercepted
il and ran il back 10 Harvard's 25-yard
line. 20 a position directly in front OF
the Harvard goal posts.
"Here comes the injustice | mentions:
IL was an Illegal forward pass, because
the Harvard man who threw it was
less than FIVE yards behind his line OF
scrimmage. | saw that he threw IT
from less than five yards back OF his
line, and | was forced, under the pres
ent rules, 20 call back the play. take
the ball away from Yale and give 1t TO
Harvard at the point Of the previous
down.
"All Harvard lost on that play was a
down. There was an instance OF one
team playing illegal football. Al the
same time the other team, in this case
Yale, made a fine play by intercepting
the ball. The ordinary rule, which al
lows opponents TO decline a penalty re-
suting from an Illegal play By the
other side, does not apply IN case OF
the forward pass; no forward pass
penalty may be refused.
Had the Harvard man stood five
yards back Of his line, and had the
pass then been intercepted. Yale would
have been in a fine position 10 score.
The logic of the rule is not quite clear
to me. Originally. / know that there
was the belief that the forward passing
game should be encouraged. Harvard
did not comply with the rules, yet ben
Gifted BY not doing so. Surely that's
an unfair condition.
"The rules as they are told are com
paratively brief and compact. yet cover
the main things. They don't cover all
even as statute book does not cover
every possible combination OF circum
stances.
"The famous bounding drop kick in
the PrincetonD Dartmouth game few
years ago was an instance OF this. The
rules committee soon corrected that
Sanfords ingenious multiple kick in
jected a new question this year. The
rules committee will consider that play
this winter and class 10 either legal or
Illegal.
There are not enough officials 20
meet the present demand. The school
of officials has not kept pace with the
demand for graduates. The life OF the
official in big games is made difficult by
the fact that players. coaches and press
don't know the rules.
Three years ago Judge Evans. OF
Little Falls, y. y, was refereeing
game. The team that was leading,
30 near the end OF the game had the
ball on the opponents 2o-yard line, or
,hereabouts. The leading team tried a
forward pass. II was intercepted. and
the man who caught II ran the Length
Of the field for q touchdown, or what
he thought was n touchdown. but the
pas, had been thrown from a point less
than FIVE yards behind the line. and the
referee. Judge Evans. had blown his
whistle. So he had 20 bring the ball
back, and the leading team simply lost
a down and eventually won The game
60. Had the defensive team been al,
lowed 10 decline the penalty II would
have tied or wen the game.