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I tried to have an "observers" discussion with my fill-in referee just a few weeks ago on this very subject. Since I was unable to do the game (bad ankle) I timed from the booth and watched a bad snap fielded fairly cleanly by the punter and he got the kick away without moving more than two feet. Meanwhile, he gets leveled by the rusher and there was no flag.
I told him what I saw and he insisted that once the ball hits the ground the protection was off. He just wouldn't listen to me. What made things worse he turned his attention to the flight of the ball which of course he denied he did. It was at that time the kicker was knocked down.
It was pointless to continue the discussion, the fact of the matter is, protection is not automatically removed just because the snap hit the ground.
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