Rule 5, Section 8 – Unnecessary Roughness (NFHS Boys Lacrosse Rule Book)

Art. 1 – “An excessively violent infraction of the rules against holding and pushing.”

Art. 2 – “Deliberate and excessively violent contact made by a defensive player against an offensive player who has established a screening position.”

Art. 3 – “Any avoidable act on the part of a player that is deliberate and excessively violent, whether it be with the body or crosse. This may include a legal body check.” (The Buddy Pass)

Art. 4 – “A check delivered with the gloved hand or hands may not be delivered with a punching blow.”

These are the penalties that make the crowd go “OOOOHHHHH!” Unnecessary Roughness, or UR, is almost entirely a judgement call by the ref. If the official believes a hit was too violent for the age level of the players then a flag will likely be thrown.

Hopefully this video helped you understand the basics of Unnecessary Roughness. This call is typically used as a reminder penalty. It lets the coaches and the players know that the last hit was a little too late or a little too high. It tells everyone on the field to calm down a notch and resume proper body checking.

Remember this is a very subjective call and will likely change game to game and age group to age group.

Don’t forget to post any comments or questions below!

Cheers,
Gordon