Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert Goodman
Then why is it IP in a & b but not c? It would appear that, without exactly saying so, they meant for the sorts of action in both a & b to be considered a "return", i.e. either batting the ball back into play or physically returning to the playing area. The ruling implies that merely being off the ground is not "returning".
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I will agree that being up in the air is not the same as being inbounds. But I also have to accept the fact that being up in the air is not out of bounds either, because of the OOB definition we should all know by heart by now.
Clearly, the determining factor between this particular instance being a dead ball or IP is determined by where the receiver ultimately comes down, at least in the case of (a). If he comes down inbounds, then and only then is he "inbounds," thus the ruling of a legal catch and ultimately, IP. In (c), because he comes down out of bounds, then he is . . . well, out of bounds and thus, the dead ball. In (b), because he was up in the air, he is neither in or out, which most closely matches the OP presented here.
In the OP, because he was not out of bounds when he touched the ball, the down cannot be blown dead. Also, because he had been out of bounds, he could not legally touch the pass, so when he did, even though he was neither inbounds or out of bounds, he committed IP, because he obviously participated in the play. As has already been proved in this discussion, a player does not have to be inbounds to illegally participate in the play, so we don't have to make up a rule to put him inbounds when in fact he is not.