Mechanics
There are no referee interference rules if players collide with an official
There is no rule to bail out officials who accidentally hinder a play.
Umpire Alex Moore was an unwilling person in the spotlight late in the regular season when he fell down and quarterback Lamar Jackson tripped over him. The play resulted in a safety.
Moore was still backpedaling into position after spotting the ball. The offense can be warned and penalized if they snap the ball before the umpire is in position. The NFL interpretation is that once an official clears the formation, the offense can snap the ball without penalty. This is what happened in Moore’s case. The problem is Jackson took the snap and immediately began retreating faster than Moore could get further back and out of the way. Moore did his best, but it was just an unfortunate moment.
Several people on social media suggested there should be some type of officials interference rule if a collision impacts the play, similar to baseball rules.
Football has never had rules that mitigate what happens if officials accidentally interfere with a play. There are so many different scenarios in football. The baseball rules cover the few scenarios where an umpire might hinder a ball in play or hinder a player trying to make a play on the ball.
Officials are part of the play
There are so many different types of plays in football which means there would have to be several officials interference rules. An official who runs into a ball carrier, knocking him down is different than an official who slows up a defender 10 yards away. Officials’ interference rules for a dozen different scenarios would get very unwieldy.
NFL officials have several mechanics that help them stay out of the way. In this case, Moore’s position is several yards behind the quarterback, but the snap is allowed to legally take place before he gets there.
When players and officials collide, it is unfortunate — especially for the official who is not wearing any padding or protection. The official will be bruised and sore and the player might be mad at the official for getting in his way. The official will apologize for the collision, but that’s about all that can happen.
Players might be mad and fans might get a laugh when a middle-aged man goes head-over-heels. But for an official, it is an embarrassing and painful experience.
