Good point of the definition of a fumble. Likewise, look at the definition of a pass. It is the movement of the ball caused by a player who throws, bat or rolls the ball to another player. In this situation, the ball did not go to another player, and there was no advantage gained by what he did. What really happened was that he fumbled while attemping a pass, ie; a muffed pass. Therefore, I treat it as a fumble and allow him to pick it up. If it was a 'poor pass', something that goes in the direction of the teammate, but off target, and fumbling did not occur, I would never allow the passer to retrieve the ball.
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