losing control of throw in

[Pantherdreams]

I think that if you want to call the violation for leaving the spot to retrieve or 5 seconds (at least at HS level) the rules would back you up. NCAA seems to a have an interp already. The big HOWEVER I would put in there from the OP is the official retrieving the ball from the fan. Whether the able to retrieve the ball without violating or not, if a fumble results in the fan(s) in possession of the ball I think for management purposes you need to blow the play and re-administer. Asking a flustered player to scramble and try to retrieve a ball physically amongst and from fans whose reaction we can't determine seems like a recipe for more problems than it solves.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Pantherdreams

... for management purposes you need to blow the play and re-administer. Asking a flustered player to scramble and try to retrieve a ball physically amongst and from fans whose reaction we can't determine seems like a recipe for more problems than it solves.

Agree. Fans may want to keep the ball, like at a baseball game.

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Maybe it was a good thing that the official reset the administration of the inbound, probably preventing some unintended consequences?