Inbound pass hits referee OOB

[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by BlueDevilRef

but touching a person who is out of bounds is not the same as touching the floor on that spot?

If it was, then perhaps B could cause a violation by standing in the FC and using his one "hot stove touch" to contact A who was standing in the BC.

Or, if B was on the boundary line and touched A who was touching the ball ...

However, note that if A is OOB for a throw-in and reaches over the boundary line and contact B, it's a violation on A (per interp)

[Nevadaref]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Inadvertently
touching someone who is out of bounds, without gaining an advantage, is not
considered a violation.

The lack of a clear standard here is a problem.
There isn't actually a rule which states that touching an OOB person is a violation. We would have no concrete rule basis for making such a call. We would have to fall back on 2-3 and the phrase at the beginning of the book about not permitting any player to gain an advantage not intended by the rules.
Plus, if one does make a call in this situation, then there is the issue of what penalty to enforce. Is it a violation? Is it an unsporting technical foul?

Originally Posted by bob jenkins

However, note that if A is OOB for a throw-in and reaches over the boundary line and contact B, it's a violation on A (per interp)

That was an awful interpretation. There is no justification for it. I recall that the NFHS actually stated that the thrower gained inbounds status by touching the defender, which is completely untrue.