Question
We were at the Calgary-Montreal game on September 12. Calgary was flagged for “Illegal Participation”. We weren’t sure why it was called. Could you please clarify what happened?
Answer
Rule 1 Section 9 Article 8 is the Illegal Participation rule which effectively says that a player who goes out of bounds on his own cannot re-enter the field and participate in the play.
If he is contacted by an opponent (pushed or bumped), he may re-enter and participate. Most often, this call is on a receiver who went out of bounds and then came back in bounds to catch a pass.
Tom Higgins is the CFL’s Director of Officiating. Prior to joining the Canadian Football League office, Higgins spent more than 25 years as a player, coach and personnel director.
