Referee's Signal Number 36 - Intentional Grounding

When used

This signal is used by the Referee to indicate that a forward pass has been intentionally and illegally thrown where no elligible receiver could reasonably catch it to avoid a sack.

Penalty

There is no yardage penalty for this, just Loss of Down (S9) at the spot of the foul.

How executed

Begin the signal standing upright with both arms in the air to the side as shown in the picture, and then bring them both down together in a light throwing motion until they are directly in front of you.

This will be followed by the Loss of Down signal (S9).

Finally point to the offending team by streching an arm out from the shoulder to the horizontal.