Hospital pass is a term used in several football codes to describe a pass of which the recipient is subject to, usually unavoidable, heavy contact from an opposing player. The term may be applied to passes between team mates in several sports, including rugby league, rugby union, australian rules football, American football, and association football—and now also widely used metaphorically.
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A "hospital pass" is usually given by the player carrying the ball because they are attempting to prevent themselves being caught with the ball and tackled. The pass is often made under pressure and without consideration of the situation of the player receiving the pass. The player catching the ball is often stationary and already in the path of a defender thus presenting an easy target for a hard impact tackle.
To be considered a "hospital pass," the ball is played with minimal accuracy or timing to the extent that it may cause the intended recipient injury as a result of heavy contact from an opponent contesting for the ball. Hospital passes are typically made by kicking the ball on a high, looping trajectory or very slowly across the ground towards a team mate. This can enable opponents to contest for possession, resulting in heavy contact, often legitimate (but not always). The high lobbed pass is considered a particularly undesirable technique, as the resulting collisions can be very heavy.
A "hospital pass" in American football is a pass thrown high to a receiver, generally one that is running sideways rather than running downfield. The receiver is forced to jump while running at full speed to catch the ball, and a defender coming the other way attempting to tackle the receiver can cause a collision where both players are moving at full speed and the receiver is unable to move out of the way.