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Seems to me that even in NFHS, this is a forward pass. If there was huge wind or something, a ball initially released backward could be blown forward - and on such a ball, the ruling may be different between FED and NCAA because of the way the NCAA rule is written.
However, assuming no ridiculous wind, if the player released the ball at one point, and it was caught at another point forward from there, it was "thrown" forward --- EVEN if it was thrown forward at a lower speed than the player.
Think of it this way - when the ball left his hand, was it going forward or backward in relation to the FIELD (not the player). This one was going FORWARD. The definition of a forward pass is the direction IT (the BALL) was going when it left the player's hand - not the INTENT of the player or the direction the ball was going in relation to a moving player.
Or - think of it another way. If I'm on an airplane travelling north at 600 mph, and I throw a ball south on the plane at 50 mph, then to everyone on the plane (and myself), it appears I threw the ball south. However, in relation to the ground, the ball was NEVER moving south, even at the instant it left my hand.
Because the ball was going forward when it was released, this is a FORWARD pass (and an illegal one in this case).
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