SECTION 12 — OTHER PERSONNEL

Article 1 — Team Personnel

If a person entitled to be in a team bench area (i.e. a substitute player in uniform or one of the other accredited persons) interferes with the play in progress, that team shall be subject to penalty as follows:

1. If the opponent had possession of the ball, the Referee shall award an automatic touchdown to the opponent.
2. If the offending person's team had possession, it shall be penalized for illegal interference (L10 PBH or PBD) while the downs shall continue without interruption.
3. If neither team had possession, the ball shall be awarded to the opponent at the point of recovery with a penalty of half the distance to the Goal Line and the opponent shall be permitted a series of three downs regardless of the time remaining in the half.

Furthermore, the offending person shall be disqualified from the game immediately and subject to disciplinary action by the Commissioner. There shall not be any additional yardage penalty by reason of the disqualification.

Article 2 — Other Than Team Personnel

If a person other than one described in Article 1 should interfere with the play in progress, the penalty shall be:

1. If such person interfered to the advantage of the team in possession, that team shall be penalized for illegal interference at the point where the ball was held when the interference occurred.
2. If such person interfered to the advantage of the team not in possession, the team in possession shall be awarded:
   1. a touchdown score if, in the judgment of the Referee, a touchdown would have been scored on the play or,
   2. a penalty of half the distance to the Goal Line from:
      1. the point where the ball was held when the interference occurred or,
      2. the point where the ball became dead or,
      3. the point where the ball was put into play or the team gained possession, whichever is the greater advantage to the team in possession, plus a series of three downs regardless of the time remaining in the half.
3. If such person interferes with the play when the ball is not in possession of either team, the Referee shall whistle the play dead immediately. The entire play shall be repeated at the point the ball was previously put into play, with the down, yardage, score and time remaining the same.
4. If such person interferes with a forward pass play in the Goal Area, the ball shall be awarded to:
   1. Team A at the one-yard line if the interference was to the advantage of Team B or,
   2. Team B at the 10-yard line if the interference was to the advantage of Team A.

NOTE: If the non-offending team is awarded a series of three downs with insufficient time remaining, it shall be permitted a maximum of three plays from scrimmage. If that team should score or lose possession, the game will be terminated at the conclusion of that play.

• SECTION 11 — TEAM PERSONNEL
• RULE 2 — OFFICIALS