Scragging

[Merolamas56]

The hair yanking incident in the Toronto/Hamilton game.

Announcers on TV said that hair pulling is legal, and it seems even to the point of yanking out a braid of hair.
But wouldn't that be covered under rule 24, "scragging?"

But has scragging not been called since the days when players didn't wear face masks?

[maxlion]

There is no rule 24 as far as I know. You must be looking at an older rule book. There is no explicit rule against hair pulling, but there is probably enough leeway to call it a foul under rough play or unnecessary roughness provisions. I think it should be a foul. It seems quite dangerous, similar to a horse collar tackle.

[TheLionKing]

I understand that long hair is considered part of the equipment. If a player chooses to wear long braids then they risk the chance of them being pulled out.

[maxlion]

I understand that long hair is considered part of the equipment. If a player chooses to wear long braids then they risk the chance of them being pulled out.

Well, you may be right that the CFL considers it part of the equipment and fine to use to stop a player, but I would take a different view. First, hair is obviously part of the body, not the equipment. Second, there are parts of the equipment that can't be grabbed in order to stop a player--in particular, the facemask and the back of the shoulder pads. I'd guess that the reason for both has to do with potential neck injuries. The same reasoning probably applies to stopping someone by pulling on their hair.

[Toppy Vann]

It strikes me that grabbing the hair being only illegal IF it's a dangerous play like other types of plays make no sense.

TSN asked if he pulled out an extension but no one answered that.

It's one of the several CFL oddiities like the Als kick for a 1st down play even though the ball doesn't go past the first down marker. I used to love the quick kick but that was the days when punters like FB Charlie Shepherd were also playing on offense or defense unlike today.

In a Redditt forum on CFL Rules from 1905 I found this that "scragg " was this:

"No player shall hack, trip, scragg, or tackle an opponent below the knee, under penalty of a free kick."

Another poster said:
The term rang a bell, so I searched the book "The Same Old Game" by Mike Roberts, a very long history of football (in the broadest sense) that I've been slowly working my way through. He says that, as used in Canada, it meant tackling below the knees or above the waist. In English rugby, on the other hand, it seemed to mean something closer to shocking



TANDEM BUCK in CFL - where blockers push the ball carrier. I know in the years I played football this was always a penalty. I always thought it was tandem butt (as in a ram pushing with their head/horns LOL.

I'm curious but can't find any history in the CFL of the "tandem buck" rules that still apply in amateur football.

The Football Canada Tackle Rules Committee has adapted a number of changes, clarifications and corrections approved to the Canadian Amateur Tackle Football Rule Book. The changes are for immediate distribution and implementation.

The changes include:

Extending the Tandem Buck Rule (pushing, pulling or charging into the ball carrier to assist his/her forward progress) to include the ball carrier on any play (e.g. turnover, punt return)

https://footballcanada.com/news/amateur ... 16-season/

[Merolamas56]

Here is the rule book listing for Tandem Buck
Sec 11- A buck formation of MORE THAN two plyers is forbidden
No assistance shall be given to the buck until it has come in contact with the opponent's defence, and then only by players who have been within one yard of the line of scrimmage from the insatnt he ball was put into play jntil the buck has hit the opponent's line.

The intention is that no more than two men of the attacking side may form together to advance the ball until they come in contact with their opponent's defence

PENALTY
Loss of one down and ten yards, if on third down, loss of ball


The next rule listed is
Crawling
Sec 12
Crawling in a play originating from a scrimmage is illegal (see definition , Rule I, section 26)

Sec 13
Crawling after a play, where possession was obtained without
having scrimmaged the ball is illegal

[Toppy Vann]

Here is the rule book listing for Tandem Buck
Sec 11- A buck formation of MORE THAN two plyers is forbidden
No assistance shall be given to the buck until it has come in contact with the opponent's defence, and then only by players who have been within one yard of the line of scrimmage from the insatnt he ball was put into play jntil the buck has hit the opponent's line.

The intention is that no more than two men of the attacking side may form together to advance the ball until they come in contact with their opponent's defence

PENALTY
Loss of one down and ten yards, if on third down, loss of ball


The next rule listed is
Crawling
Sec 12
Crawling in a play originating from a scrimmage is illegal (see definition , Rule I, section 26)

Sec 13
Crawling after a play, where possession was obtained without
having scrimmaged the ball is illegal

I don't think that is in the CFL Rule book but more likely Amateur football somewhere.

The only rule on Push Blocking I see is that DEF players can push.

I'm off to a meeting at 7 but I'm looking at these rules:


https://cfldb.ca/rulebook/

[Merolamas56]

From
"Playing Rules of the Canadian Rugby Union"
and all Affiliated Unions

Interprovincial Rugby Football Union
Ontario Rugby Football Union
Quebec Rugby Football Union
Canadian Intercollegiate Athletic Union
Western Canada Rugby Football Union
Western Canada Intercollegiate Rugby Football Union
Western Interprovincial Rugby Union
British Columbia Rugby Football Union

[johnchow604]

If hair pulling were illegal, it would be advantageous for players to grow long hair to cover their backs, giving defenders less exposed area to grab onto and pull them down during a tackle.

[Toppy Vann]

If hair pulling were illegal, it would be advantageous for players to grow long hair to cover their backs, giving defenders less exposed area to grab onto and pull them down during a tackle.

"... it would be advantageous for players to grow long hair to cover their backs, giving defenders less exposed area to grab onto and pull them down during a tackle"

OR

Get a fake set of long hair just for games if it were made illegal LOL

I love this post.

How many players who don't want long hair will be willing to grow a head of very long hair to get pulled for a penalty though.

Basically the hair pulliing that led to one of the strands pulled out was a multi-strand puller who was beaten.

I still can't square how hair pulling is not illegal as it just seems an illogical body part to be in legal play.

[Merolamas56]

Trevor Harris was a victim of "scragging, " by original definition of the rule, in the Bombers /Riders game, tonight, and it was called "roughing the passer" although it was a running play