FOOTBALL RULES COMMITTEE

The American Intercollegiate Football Rules Committee at a meeting held Saturday in New York made further tentative recommendations in regard to changes in the rules, but postponed taking any final action until its next meeting on March 3.

Among the more important decisions arrived at by the committee are those relating to the adoption of a 10-yard rule, the elimination of mass play and the forward pass. The ruling affecting unnecessary roughness was made more severe and other minor changes from the rules formulated at the last meeting were adopted. The committee appointed to formulate suggestions relative to the formation of a central body of officials submitted its report, which was given out in order to encourage public discussion on the subject. No plan was made for testing the new game in the spring, but P. J. Dashiel offered the facilities of the U. S. Naval Academy for this purpose.

The following radical change was provisionally adopted: "The distance to be gained shall be ten yards in threedowns." This change, which in the present game would give a great advantage to the defensive team, is in part compensated by the recommendation that the forward pass be allowed, though only under certain conditions.

In order to prevent the players from piling up, the following rule was adopted: "The ball shall be deemed dead when any portion of the person of the runner with the ball, except his hands or feet touch the ground when in the grasp of an opponent."

In regard to elimination of brutality it was voted:

"That striking the runner with the ball in the face with the heel of the hand on defence, meeting him with the knee or striking with the locked hands by line men in breaking through be punished by disqualification."

At the last meeting of the committee, the penalty for this form of unnecessary roughness was the loss of 15 yards.

It was recommended that the following rule be adopted: "Every player on the kicking side shall be 'on side' when the kicked ball touches the ground," but the consideration of rules to protect the man catching a punt, was left over until the next meeting.

The committee on a central board of officials, composed of L. M. Dennis, W. T. Reid, Jr., and J. A. Babbitt, reported favorably on forming such a body. It advised that the central governing committee of officials be composed of five members and be appointed as a sub-committee of the Intercollegiate Rules Committee. Sectional committees of three each, of whom one shall be a member of the general rules committee are to be appointed for different parts of the country.