I am not a football official, but me and my co-workers were discussing kick catch interference. This is the question; On a kick off a receiving team member is under a popped up kick and does not call a fair catch. Can the kicking team hit him while he is tring to catch the ball?

REPLY: In a word...No. The receiver of a free kick (kickoff) is awarded the same privilege of fielding the kick unimpeded as he would have during a scrimmage kick (punt). This is only true for a kick <i>in flight.</i> Once it hits the ground, all bets are off. One thing to be aware of though. Often, the kicker will kick the ball off the tee straight into the ground where it will pop up and look a whole lot like he kicked it into the air when he really didn't. In such a case, the kick has been grounded and now all hell can break loose. In Federation rules, the kicking team can never touch a free kick in flight; in NCAA rules, they can if there is no receiver in position to make a play on the ball. Also, the NCAA has a rule that prohibits the kickers from blocking the receiving team until either (a) the ball has gone ten yards or the receivers have touched the kick.