In
American football and
Canadian football, a
lateral pass or
lateral (officially
backward pass in American football and
onside pass in Canadian football) occurs when the ball carrier throws the football to a teammate in a direction parallel to or away from the opponents' goal line. A lateral pass is distinguished from a
forward pass, in which the ball is thrown forward, towards the opposition's
end zone. In a lateral pass the ball is not advanced, but unlike a forward pass a lateral may be attempted from anywhere on the field by any player to any player at any time.