Did anyone else notice Mack Hollins hair pull of #59 on JA's final TD run??

[Buffalo716]

I've definitely ripped out a couple dreadlocks on some guys before... When you can get nothing but a handful of hair...

 

Sometimes it will do

 

Any running back or wide receiver with hair coming out of the back of his helmet is asking for it

Edited December 3 by Buffalo716

[Watkins90]

Wouldn't that technically be holding? 

[Richard Noggin]

Tackling by hair has nothing to do with a blocker grabbing any part of a defender. It's legal to tackle by hair, and we know that. It's NEVER legal to grab a defender at all, much less by the hair as he runs past you. Thankfully the refs missed it. That's holding. 

[Beck Water]

7 hours ago, Special K said:

I believe there is a rule that pulling the long hair of a player is legal, but I have never seen anyone actually do it like that.

 

#59 looked stunned that it happened, but didn't seem to complain to the refs about it.

 

I figured there was an unwritten rule by the players not to do it even though it is allowed, but I guess not.

 

Not a big deal, but just thought it was an interesting and unusual moment.

 

Sooooo the hair is considered an extension of the player's body and is treated as such - a ball that touches a KR or PR's hair is a live ball; a player whose hair is touched while he's down is "down by contact" (the little towel however, does not count).  Along with that, it is 100% legal to tackle a player by the hair, it is not a "horsecollar tackle".

 

BUT, because the hair of a player is an "extension of his body", it is just as much a hold to restrain a defender by his hair as it is to restrain him by his neck or his arm or his jersey.  So I think what Hollins did was NOT allowed and could have been penalized.  On the other hand he just kind of grabbed and let it pull through his hand, so just like a defender gets away with it if he holds an arm and lets it slowly move through his hand, it's likely to be considered "incidental contact".

 

You can see 59 having words with Hollins about it.  Actually he turns to have words with Hollins about it before Josh breaks the plane

 

1 hour ago, Watkins90 said:

Wouldn't that technically be holding? 

 

Yes, by rule that was holding but Hollins did let him pull free and let go so

Edited December 3 by Beck Water

[Special K]

 

49 minutes ago, Richard Noggin said:

Tackling by hair has nothing to do with a blocker grabbing any part of a defender. It's legal to tackle by hair, and we know that. It's NEVER legal to grab a defender at all, much less by the hair as he runs past you. Thankfully the refs missed it. That's holding. 

 

30 minutes ago, Beck Water said:

 

Sooooo the hair is considered an extension of the player's body and is treated as such - a ball that touches a KR or PR's hair is a live ball; a player whose hair is touched while he's down is "down by contact" (the little towel however, does not count).  Along with that, it is 100% legal to tackle a player by the hair, it is not a "horsecollar tackle".

 

BUT, because the hair of a player is an "extension of his body", it is just as much a hold to restrain a defender by his hair as it is to restrain him by his neck or his arm or his jersey.  So I think what Hollins did was NOT allowed and could have been penalized.  On the other hand he just kind of grabbed and let it pull through his hand, so just like a defender gets away with it if he holds an arm and lets it slowly move through his hand, it's likely to be considered "incidental contact".

 

You can see 59 having words with Hollins about it.  Actually he turns to have words with Hollins about it before Josh breaks the plane

 

 

Yes, by rule that was holding but Hollins did let him pull free and let go so

 

I always thought hair was fair game no matter what, but it makes more sense that its fair game for tackling only....good thing that all that snow got in the refs eyes and they missed a call in the Bills favor for once!!

[Richard Noggin]

2 minutes ago, Special K said:

 

 

 

I always thought hair was fair game no matter what, but it makes more sense that its fair game for tackling only....good thing that all that snow got in the refs eyes and they missed a call in the Bills favor for once!!

 

Exactly. Offensive players aren't technically allowed to "grab" any part of a defender's body, especially from behind. The (really long, like down to his waist almost) hair that was briefly grabbed in this case is just distracting people from basic rules.