USA Football Rules Editor Bill LeMonnier is a former college referee who currently serves as an ESPN NCAA rules analyst. Click here to ask Bill a question. Make sure to put “Ask the Official” in the subject line.

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A defensive back grabs a receiver by the facemask while breaking up a pass that falls incomplete. There is no pass interference as it’s after the receiver made initial contact with the ball. The defender then pulls the receiver to the ground by the facemask. Is that a spot foul on the 15-yard facemask penalty or is the yardage marked off from the line of scrimmage?

When the pass falls incomplete, it is a 15-yard previous spot foul, so you walk it off from the line of scrimmage.

In the NFL and NCAA, it’s also an automatic first down. There’s no automatic first down at the high school and most youth levels.

Had the pass been caught and a facemask penalty called on the play, then tack it on the end of the play.

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A ball-carrier was running a sweep and about to break free near the sideline. The defender executed a soccer slide tackle by sliding feet first into the ball-carrier’s ankle. This resulted in a severely sprained ankle for the runner, ending his season.

With safety as the primary concern in youth football, why is this still a legal tackle? The NFL recognized the unnecessary risk associated with this tactic and outlawed it years ago, yet we continue to allow the practice at other levels.

Tripping the runner is legal in NCAA and high school levels. You will need to consult those governing bodies to ask why.

At the youth level, USA Football encourages all organizations to pursue rules variances they feel are important to them. Adding a penalty for tripping is something worth putting on an agenda and discussing.