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Horse Collar
Horse-collar tackle (9-4-3k) A horse collar is defined as grabbing the inside back or side collar of the shoulder pads or jersey, and subsequently pulling the runner down. The key words in the rule are "subsequently" and "pulling". In order to have a horse collar, the runner does not have to go down to the ground immediately. It is possible a strong runner could continue to advance despite the efforts of an opponent who has grabbed the collar or shoulder pads. The rule also requires the tackler to "pull" the runner, not simply drag him down without pulling toward the tackler, for the foul to occur. Key Points: The foul can occur anywhere on the field. If one would-be tackler has grabbed the shoulder pads or collar of the runner, but the runner is brought down as the result of a more conventional tackle, there is no foul. If the runner being horse-collared goes out of bounds or crosses the goal line before being pulled down, the foul becomes a dead-ball foul. Grabbing the jersey from behind is not a foul, unless the hand is inside the head hole collar. |