Confusion on illegal touching in EZ

[Watson]

Hope you guys can clear something up for me.

Rule 6-3-11 reads in part, "If a scrimmage kick untouched by Team B after crossing the neutral zone is batted in Team B’s end zone by a player of Team A, it is a violation for illegal touching (Rule 6-3-2). This is a special case of illegal touching: Team B’s privilege for this violation is not canceled by an accepted penalty."

But AR 6-3-11 II reads, "Team A snaps at the 50-yard line and punts. The kick is untouched beyond the neutral zone when A88 reaches across Team B’s goal line and bats the ball back into the field of play. B22 recovers at the B-2 and advances to the B-12 where A66 tackles him by pulling his facemask. RULING: Team B may accept the penalty, which cancels the illegal touching privilege, and have first and 10 at the B-27."

The rule says an accepted penalty does not cancel the illegal touch privilege, but the AR says it does. Any help appreciated.

[TXMike]

Previous discussions on 6-3-11 which might help you

http://www.refstripes.com/forum/index.php?topic=10108.msg97609#msg97609

http://www.refstripes.com/forum/index.php?topic=8175.msg78073#msg78073

http://www.refstripes.com/forum/index.php?topic=7814.msg74642#msg74642

[Kalle]

The special enforcement relates only to fouls during the kick. For example, a personal foul committed by team A during the kick, illegal touching in team B's end zone and recovery by team A at B-10. The foul can be now enforced from B-20, making it 1st and 10 at B-35, instead of 1st and 10 at B-25.

In the AR, the foul occurs during a normal running play, so it is enforced by the usual 3-and-1. The language could be better, as the illegal touching doesn't really come into play after team B elects to enforce the penalty. If the facemask occurs at B-4, team B could (and would) elect to take the illegal touching and take the ball at B-20.

[Hawkeye]

You didn't quote the rest of 6-3-11 which explains that the violation is not canceled by an accepted penalty for a team A foul that occurs during the kick play and the B-20 is considered the PSK spot for team B fouls during the kick.  It is not completely clear, but 5-2-4 governs the penalty enforcement in AR 6-3-11-II because it occurs after the kick so it is during the period after the change of possession.

The wording of 6-3-11 has been messed with a few times in the past few years, it is not perfect but it is intended to mean that the violation is not cancelled when a penalty for a foul that occurs during the kick (team B fouls that are enforced under PSK) or kick play (team A fouls that qualify for tack-on) is accepted.

If you read all 3 AR's in 6-3-11, the first one is the intention of the rule, the 2nd and 3rd both describe situations where PSK does not apply to the team B foul.

I don't know why it doesn't explicitly state the intention is for PSK enforcement in 6-3-11.

Hope that helps.

[jg-me]

As a wise man told me during a rules conversation yesterday, some of the rules, as written, are about as clear as mud. Include this one in that group.
If 6-3-11 read something along the lines of "...B's privilege for this violation is not cancelled by an accepted penalty when the related foul meets the standards for PSK (2-25-11) or for rule 6-3-13." would any of these discussions have occurred?

[Watson]

First, thanks for all of the help. Second, Jg-me, your suggested wording certainly would have helped.