The old saying is rules are made to be broken. But what about rules that few know about until they are broken? That was the case Sunday night when Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Domata Peko was given an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for "disconcerting signals."
Peko reportedly was yelling, "Set, go!" while Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer was under center in the final seconds of what was a tie game. Rule No. 12, Section 3, Article 1 of the NFL rulebook forbids "using acts or words by the defensive team that are designed to disconcert an offensive team at the snap."
The penalty moved the ball from the Bengals' 27-yard line to the 14, and Arizona's Chandler Catanzaro connected on a 32-yard field goal on the next play to win the game.
Even the best players sometimes forget about the rules. LeBron James went to the bench Saturday against the Atlanta Hawks before Richard Jefferson could be checked in by officials, leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers with just four players on the court. Play was immediately stopped and the Cavaliers were given a technical foul. Rule No. 3, Section I, Part A of the NBA rulebook states: "Each team shall consist of five players. No team shall be reduced to less than five players."
And, well, sometimes even referees are a little confused about the rules. During Monday night's game between the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills, a third-quarter play was halted because of an inadvertent whistle. The whistle could be heard while Tom Brady's pass was in the air, before Danny Amendola caught it. Rule 7, Section 2, Article 1 of the NFL rulebook states "when an official sounds his whistle erroneously while the ball is still in play, the ball becomes dead immediately." Based on that, the catch shouldn't have counted and the down should have been replayed. However, officials credited the Patriots with the completion but not the yards after the catch. Referee Gene Steratore later stated he believed the whistle blew when Amendola made the catch, not before.
The above incidents involved rules that have existed for years but weren't well known until they were invoked. Here's a look of 10 other obscure rules in a variety of sports you might not know about.
NBA: When you can play after fouling out
Under the same rule James was penalized for last week, a player can stay in a game even after picking up his sixth foul if nobody else is available. The rule states, "If a player in the game receives his sixth personal foul and all substitutes have already been disqualified, said player shall remain in the game and shall be charged with a personal and team foul. A technical foul also shall be assessed against his team. All subsequent personal fouls, including offensive fouls, shall be treated similarly. All players who have six or more personal fouls and remain in the game shall be treated similarly." The rule came into play two seasons ago when the Los Angeles Lakers were left with only five healthy players against the Cavaliers and Robert Sacre was allowed to stay in the game after picking up his sixth foul.
College basketball: 5-on-1 is possible
The NCAA isn't as lenient as the NBA when it comes to players fouling out. It is legal for a team to finish with fewer than five players if enough people foul out. The little-known part of the rule is that in certain circumstances a team may actually play with one player (how would you do a throw-in?). Rule 3, Section 2, Article 2 of the NCAA rulebook states "each team may continue to play with fewer than five players when all other squad members are not eligible or able to play." Article 3 continues, "when there is only one player participating for a team, that team shall forfeit unless the referee believes that both teams have an opportunity to win." Teams played short-handed twice last season, when Southern Miss finished a game with four players against Florida International and Tennessee State was down to four men against Southern Illinois.
Soccer: Give it up, goalies
Soccer goalies are notorious for taking their sweet time when trying to milk the clock at the end of games. And while it is rarely called, there is a penalty to prevent this. Law 12 of FIFA's Laws of the Game states "a goalkeeper is not permitted to keep control of the ball in his hands for more than six seconds." It is widely regarded as a discretionary rule that isn't enforced unless there is an egregious violation. But with the United States women trailing Canada 3-2 late in a 2012 Olympic semifinal match, Canada keeper Erin McLeod was called for holding the ball too long. The United States drew a penalty off the ensuing free kick, and Abby Wambach tied the game with a penalty kick. The U.S. went on to win 4-3 in overtime.
MLB: Keep your mask to yourself
MLB rules prohibit players from touching ball with their mask or cap, as Detroit Tigers catcher Mike Heath discovered in 1987. MLB rules state, "each runner, including the batter-runner may, without liability to be put out, advance two bases, if a fielder deliberately touches a thrown ball with his cap, mask or any part of his uniform detached from its proper place on his person." The rule was called into play when California Angels manager Gene Mauch caught Heath taking off his mask and swiping at a ball in the dirt in the third inning after a pitch from Dan Petry.
College basketball: Administrative technicals
Administrative technical fouls can be assessed for things such as failure to report the starting lineups before the pregame countdown clock hits 10 minutes, for the home team removing the scorebook from the table during halftime and for one team having two players with the same number. The penalty for all administrative technical fouls was reduced to one free throw before this season.
Football: Two punts -- or passes -- for the price of one
If a punt is blocked in college football and does not cross the line of scrimmage, the punting team can recover it and punt again. In this case there are actually two punts recorded on one play, with the second one measured from the spot of the kick. In the NFL it is possible to have two pass attempts credited on the same play. In the event a penalty for an illegal forward pass is declined -- for example, if the defense intercepted it -- then the second pass becomes "legal" and both passes on the play count in the stats.
Football: No palpably unfair play
The "Palpably Unfair Act" rule states "A player or substitute shall not interfere with play by any act which is palpably unfair" and gives the referees discretion to enforce "any such distance penalty as they consider equitable," including the awarding of a touchdown. It might be called if somebody comes off the sideline and interferes with a player who is obviously going to score. It actually happened in the 1954 Cotton Bowl, and more recently Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin nearly got called for it during a kickoff return in a 2013 game. There is also a provision to award a field goal if the defensive team "goaltends" the kick as it is about to pass over the crossbar.
Football: 1-point safety
If the offense is attempting a PAT but the defense obtains possession by blocking the kick or recovering a fumbled snap, the play is still live because the ball can be returned for two points. If a defensive player with possession retreats into his own end zone and is tackled, the offensive team gets a safety worth only one point, not two as with a traditional safety. This happened in the 2013 Fiesta Bowl on an Oregon extra-point attempt against Kansas State. The NFL added this unlikely scoring option this season when it changed its PAT rules.
NHL: Don't throw your stuff
In an empty-net situation, the referee can award a goal to a player who would otherwise have scored on a breakaway if a defensive player throws his stick or any other equipment. If a coach or nonplaying club personnel is guilty of such an act, the rules state "he shall be automatically suspended from the game, ordered to the dressing room and the matter will be reported to the Commissioner for possible further disciplinary action."
MLB: The "switch-pitcher" rule
This rule was added in 2009 after the famously hilarious incident in Class A ball when switch-pitcher Pat Venditte, who wears a glove that fits either hand, faced a switch-hitter. Rule 5.07 (f) focuses on ambidextrous pitchers and states, "a pitcher must indicate visually to the umpire-in-chief, the batter and any runners the hand with which he intends to pitch, which may be done by wearing his glove on the other hand while touching the pitcher's plate. The pitcher is not permitted to pitch with the other hand until the batter is retired, the batter becomes a runner, the inning ends, the batter is substituted for by a pinch-hitter or the pitcher incurs an injury. In the event a pitcher switches pitching hands during an at-bat because he has suffered an injury, the pitcher may not, for the remainder of the game, pitch with the hand from which he has switched. The pitcher shall not be given the opportunity to throw any preparatory pitches after switching pitching hands. Any change of pitching hands must be indicated clearly to the umpire-in-chief."
ESPN Stats & Info contributed to this report.