Football Rules- Why don't teams decline this kind of penalty?

[jstnrgrs]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm not familiar with the rulebook, but I'm virtually positive that (in the NFL at least), pre-snap penalties cannot be declined.

Many (10ish) years ago, I was watching a Seahawks game. Seattle intercepted a pass and returned it for a TD. It got overturned, though, because the opposition committed a false start (and the play happened because the players ignored the whistle). I adamantly insisted that they should decline the penalty, but alas, they couldn't.

I cried.

Josh

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This is different, because there was a wistle (and therefore no play). If seattle had declined the penalty (I don't know if they could have or not)in the situation you describe, the opposition would have kept the ball (since there was no play).

Once the wistle is blown, the play MUST be over. Perhapse some players on the opposition heard the wistle, and therefore didn't try to catch the player that was returning the pass.

Players are taught to stop playing at the wistle and are sometimes penalized if they don't. Therefore, when the wistle blows, the play MUST be over.