1.1Pass interference occurs when a player takes away an opponent's positional advantage
1.2Pass interference can apply when the pass is in the air and the player who had positional advantage had a reasonable chance of getting to the arrival point for the ball.
1.3Pass interference by the offense or the defense is illegal. The team that violates the pass interference regulations will be penalized as determined by the official.
2. Contact
2.1A player has committed bodily contact when that player makes contact with an opponent and moves the opponent off stride or away from the opponent's intended direction or position. Contact between opponents is legal provided that the contact results from a simultaneous and legitimate attempt to play the ball and occurs at the arrival point of the pass; this contact is legal only when each player is intent on playing the ball and each player is in an equally favorable position to play the ball.
2.2When contact occurs without moving the opponent off stride or away from the opponent's intended direction or position, pass interference has not occurred; this is incidental contact.
3. Path to the Ball
3.1All players have an equal right to a direct path to the arrival point of the ball. However, a player in an unfavorable position cannot commit bodily contact with an opponent to reach the ball, even if the ball was eventually touched by that player.
3.2A player who is in an advantageous position to play the ball compared to an opponent, is considered to have the right to the path of the ball. When that right is taken away by an opponent using bodily contact, pass interference has occurred.
3.3A player, who is taking a path or a position on the field in order to catch a pass, or defend against a pass, has a right to that path or position unless an opponent has already taken it. A player who takes an opponent's established path or position using bodily contact is guilty of pass interference.
3.4When 2 opponents cross paths and make contact, the player who had clearly declared the intended path first has the right to that path; the opponent is guilty of pass interference unless the contact was incidental. If the officials cannot determine who declared their path first, pass interference has not occurred.
3.5When opponents get their feet tangled up while running their respective paths causing 1 player to lose balance, a pass interference penalty is not automatic. The relevant positions and intended paths of the players must be taken into account.
3.6In all the above cases, the player who is in the advantageous position to play the ball must continue to display intent to reach the arrival point of the ball. Otherwise, any contact by the opponent in a sincere effort to reach the arrival point of the ball will not be considered pass interference. A deliberate attempt to block the opponent from reaching the arrival point of the ball is pass interference.
4. Pick Play
4.1An offensive player cannot prevent a defensive player from pursuing another offensive player by impeding that defensive player's direct path to the teammate. The defensive player must be moving towards the second offensive player to be considered pursuing that player.
4.2If the first offensive player is playing the ball, that player cannot be considered as impeding the defensive player from pursuing the second offensive player.
4.3Violation of these regulations is Illegal Contact.
5. Stationary Position
5.1Any player who has maintained a stationary position since the ball was snapped shall not be penalized if run into by an opponent.
6. Playing The Ball
6.1A player must be facing the ball as it arrives to be considered to be playing the ball. When the ball strikes a player who is not playing the ball and who is impeding an opponent's approach to the ball, this is pass interference; for the purposes of this regulation, the opponent must be moving towards the ball to be considered impeded.
7. Screening
7.1As the ball arrives in the immediate vicinity of a receiver, a player who is not playing the ball cannot extend the arms or wave a hand in an attempt to distract a receiver, to block a receiver's vision or to touch the ball. Violation of this rule in pass interference; if the ball is touched or the receiver's direct line of vision to the ball is blocked; this is pass interference.
8. Non-catchable Pass
8.1When an official considers a pass cannot be caught even with extraordinary effort, no pass interference penalty shall be assessed even when pass interference occurs by either team. An official may still call illegal contact if they deem the act to be intentional/severe.