Did anyone read the post that I already made in this thread?
I cited the relevant rules therein.
This seems ridiculous, but according to the rules
AS WRITTEN, the play described in the original post is a double dribble violation.
The NFHS needs to fix this! It seems to be a gap in the current rules. I have never called this a violation before because I have never closely examined the legality of the play.
Which body part of the defender the dribble strikes definitely matters as
only a bat WITH THE HAND ends the dribble
and permits a new one by the original dribbler. Why? Because that's what the rules book specifies.
9-5-3, which Mick and JR are using to justify the legality of the play, only applies to a
PASS or a
FUMBLE. It says so right there in black and white. In this situation the ball certainly is NOT passed, and it doesn't seem to meet the rules book definition of a fumble either. Therefore, I don't believe that this rule is applicable.
Rainmaker,
Keep searching, if you find anything in addition to what I have already posted, please let us know!