Strange Sideline Inbounds play

[Scrapper1]

Originally Posted by zeedonk

Question is- If A1 DID touch B1 with the ball, I'd call out of bounds violation on A1 as he was standing OOB while the ball contacted the player in bounds (right?)

No. While A1 is still holding the ball, he's allowed to be out of bounds with it. If A1 held it over the line, and B1 slapped at it but didn't dislodge it, you wouldn't call an out of bounds violation on A1, would you? Your situation was the same.

The ball is allowed to be touched while it has out of bounds status during the throw-in. If the ball is being held on the out of bounds side of the boundary plane, then only the throw-in team is allowed to touch it. But if it is on the inbounds side of the boundary plane, then either team may touch it and not violate.

Those throw-in provisions are in effect until the ball is released on the throw-in pass. In your case, since the ball hadn't been released, it's not a violation on either team when the ball touches the defender.

Or should I have killed the play when I saw them too close and moved them both away? Preventive officiating or improperly stopping the play?

You should only move them apart when there is physically not enough room for the inbounder to back up for extra space. If the inbounder has plenty of room behind him, but chooses to stand right on the boundary line, that's his problem, not yours.