Fair Catch Signal

[Bob M.]

REPLY: Mike...the 'antagonist' in the thread Tom and I are talking about was a member of my local association, though to this day, I don't know who it was. He went by the screen name "Ref100." He contended that if a receiver signals behind the NZ, his signal is nothing more than than a player waving his hand. He said that it should be totally disregarded--by kickers, and officials. If he caught or recovered the kick, it would remain alive and he could advance. Despite virtually everyone's logical arguments to the contrary, he held fast to his position. Literally, "a voice crying in the wilderness." Despite the logical arguments for killing it (like Roamin' Umpire's excellent breakdown above), he would not budge.

Tom...I think you reversed your NF and NCAA rulings:
NF - ball remains alive
NCAA - ball is dead when signal is given
Right??

To Mike's other question...I would say Yes, flag it. The signal--regardless of where it's given--prohibits the signaler from blocking until the kick ends.