Illegal Substitution Penalty in Football

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What is an Illegal Substitution Penalty?

Another phrase used when describing the Illegal Substitution penalty is "Too Many Men on the Field". The are multiple instances when an Illegal Substitution penalty can be called. A common occurrence is when you see a player jetting off of the field and the ball is snapped before they can get off, this leaves 12 players on the field and the flag is thrown. Another instance is when the offensive team has more than 11 players in the huddle for more than a few seconds. If more than 11 players actually line up in formation, this will qualify as an Illegal Substitution Penalty as well.

Number of Yards

There is a 5 yard penalty in both the NFL and College Football.

The Signal

When signaling the Illegal Substitution penalty the referee will have both palms down and place then on the top of their head.