what is a snap infraction

A snap infraction is a penalty in football that occurs when the center moves the football before the snap but after the offensive linemen have already set up. It is essentially a false start penalty on the center, and it is meant to prevent deceptive plays that draw the defense offsides. An illegal snap occurs when a center fails to snap the ball in one continuous motion. The penalty is considered a dead ball penalty, meaning that the play is stopped before it begins.