---
slug: "horse-collar-tackle"
title: "Horse-Collar Tackle"
depth_tier: entry
side: UNIVERSAL
category: Rules
source_id: "RUL-0008"
created: 2026-04-06
updated: 2026-05-18
canonical: https://learningfootball.xyz/terms/horse-collar-tackle
---
# Horse-Collar Tackle

## Short Definition

A 15-yard personal foul for bringing down a ball carrier by grabbing inside the back collar—banned because the technique causes severe knee and ankle injuries.

## Definition

The horse-collar tackle is a personal foul for bringing down a ball carrier by grabbing inside the back or side collar of the shoulder pads or jersey—the area around the top of the back and neck—and using that grip to pull the player down or change their direction. The foul was specifically created because collar tackles generate a predictable and severe injury pattern: the runner's body is yanked downward by force applied at the top of the torso while the legs and feet are still moving forward, creating torsional stress on the knee and ankle joints that frequently results in tears and dislocations.

The rule was introduced in the NFL in 2005 after Roy Williams, then a safety for the Dallas Cowboys, used the collar tackle technique repeatedly and produced multiple serious knee injuries on opposing ball carriers within a short period. The league studied the injury pattern, found a direct causal link between the collar grip and lower extremity injuries, and created a specific prohibition. Williams became the eponym for the rule in common coaching usage: the "Roy Williams rule."

The 15-yard personal foul plus automatic first down enforcement mirrors other dangerous-contact personal fouls. The severity reflects the injury potential rather than the competitive advantage the technique provides—a collar tackle is not inherently more effective than a conventional wrap-up tackle, but it is substantially more dangerous. The penalty is designed to make the technique uneconomical: 15 yards and a first down is too high a cost to justify a tackle that could have been made legally.

The rule applies to ball carriers in the open field, after a catch, or on a running play. It does not apply to quarterbacks in the pocket, where standard tackling rules allow more physical contact. A safety or linebacker who grabs a scrambling quarterback's collar at the tackle box boundary is in a gray area—once the quarterback leaves the pocket as a runner, the horse-collar protection applies, but the pocket exception creates a line that varies with the quarterback's movement.

## Example

"Safety had no angle—reached for the receiver and grabbed him by the back collar, pulling him straight down. Horse-collar tackle, 15 yards, automatic first down. That grip on the collar is exactly what caused the knee injuries that created the rule."

## Common Confusion

Horse-collar tackle is confused with any tackle from behind. The specific violation is grabbing inside the back collar—the neck or shoulder pad area—and using that grip to bring down the runner. A tackle from behind that does not involve the collar area is legal. The collar grab is the foul, not the direction of the tackle.

---
Source: https://learningfootball.xyz/terms/horse-collar-tackle