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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Does the referee have the authority to ask before the beginning of a game if there will be trick plays used? My son's team did a center sneak for a touchdown, and after that the referee threw a flag, penalized them 15 yards and removed the touchdown.

It is recommended and common practice by most referees to ask a coach during a pregame conference about any unusual plays. Whether or not the coach divulges the plays for discussion is another thing. The question to the coach is a courtesy, not a requirement.

As for the description of the play, if the quarterback scored it sounds like a common legal QB sneak. If the center scored, it is illegal and a foul. The coach has the responsibility to know the rules prior to the game, not learn them in a pregame conference with the officials.

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Our running back was running down the sideline, and the defender brought him down via a horse-collar tackle. The referee pulled the flag out then put it away saying that since another defender came in and assisted with the tackle, it was no longer a penalty? Please explain this to me.

I’d like to see the play before fully commenting on it.

• Did the official who pulled the flag see enough to call a horse-collar tackle or did he pull his flag too quickly?
• If a second player came in on the tackle that changed the effect of the horse-collar tackle, basically it did not become the main impact point endangering the runner’s legs. This is a good flag pick-up.

If the horse-collar tackle was still the main impact point of the tackle, the flag should not be picked up whether a second player assisted or not.

Again, I can’t give you an opinion on a specific play without seeing it.