Fans on sideline is touched with ball

[Nevadaref]

Originally Posted by Jurassic Referee

The ball is OOB as per rule 7-1-2(b). It sounds like the the fan interfered with play. If so, give team A the ball back for a throw-in. Use case book play 7.1.2SitB(a) as a guideline. Almost the same situation.

7-1-2 . . . The ball is out of bounds when it touches or is touched by:
a. A player who is out of bounds.
b. Any other person, the floor, or any object on or outside a boundary.

I agree with JR. Whether the fan interference is deliberate or not doesn't matter. The fact that the fan is partially in the court does. The fan shouldn't be there, but sometimes circumstances dictate otherwise. Therefore, instead of a strict enforcement of 7-1-2, which was not intended to cover this situation, use 2-3 to stop play and give Team A a throw-in.

Now if the fan were completely OOB, then I would simply follow 7-1-2.