Fair Catch signal question.

[airraider]

Case -

K team punts ball high in air.

Two return players are back deep.

R1 waves his arms side to side (penalty decline signal) telling teammates to get away from the kick.

R2 catches the ball of the bounce and returns it.

Is this illegal? What if R1 would have fielded it instead of R2?

Thanks in advance!

[CT1]

Once any member of the receiving team gives a FC signal (valid or invalid), the ball becomes dead upon possession, and cannot be advanced.

[JRutledge]

There has been nothing at the NF level at least that suggests this is an invalid signal at all. Maybe your state has made some interpretation on the issue, which is allowed by them, but not from the NF level. This is a legal play and can advance the ball if someone picks up to return the punt on a scrimmage kick.

This is after all dead in college upon the recovery of the punt by R.

Different levels have different interpretations.

Peace

[SC Official]

Originally Posted by CT1

Once any member of the receiving team gives a FC signal (valid or invalid), the ball becomes dead upon possession, and cannot be advanced.

Additionally, in FED, it's a 5-yard penalty to give an invalid (or illegal) signal.

And remember that R does not receive protection-it's not a fair catch.

We've been told here that it's the "get away" signal is invalid.

[Robert Goodman]

Originally Posted by SC Official

Additionally, in FED, it's a 5-yard penalty to give an invalid (or illegal) signal.

And remember that R does not receive protection-it's not a fair catch.

We've been told here that it's the "get away" signal is invalid.

Do they say how high the hands have to be for that? Above the shoulders? Above the waist?

Just trying to figure out what kind of gesture they can make that won't be taken as a fair catch signal.

[ajmc]

Originally Posted by Robert Goodman

Do they say how high the hands have to be for that? Above the shoulders? Above the waist?

Just trying to figure out what kind of gesture they can make that won't be taken as a fair catch signal.

Once again (or maybe "Still") it's a matter of "common sense" on the part of the covering official, to DETERMINE if whatever "signal" was given was innocuous and immaterial, or misleading (and therefore Invalid).

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by ajmc

Once again (or maybe "Still") it's a matter of "common sense" on the part of the covering official, to DETERMINE if whatever "signal" was given was innocuous and immaterial, or misleading (and therefore Invalid).

Yes, common sense should be used. But the problem is that the NCAA said that any signal, for the most part, would kill the play regardless of how the waive took place. And even in that situation the ruling from the NCAA is to just simply kill the play and not give a penalty. The NF has done no such thing, but states might have. So simply waving at shoulder length as if to say, "Getaway" was never illegal or considered an invalid signal. That is why it matters what the state you work in says or suggests and then move forward with that ruling. As usually things that start at other levels do not always come down to the other levels and people conflate the two issues.

Peace

[SC Official]

Originally Posted by Robert Goodman

Do they say how high the hands have to be for that? Above the shoulders? Above the waist?

Just trying to figure out what kind of gesture they can make that won't be taken as a fair catch signal.

Any waving kills the ball.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by SC Official

Any waving kills the ball.

This play is suggesting this is a penalty. It is not just suggesting it just kills the play.

I'm sorry, but I have never heard that suggested.

Peace