Kick situation

[Bob M.]

Originally Posted by Reffing Rev.

Yes but an illegal kick is the same as a fumble....

REPLY: This is one of the rule book statements that I want to get changed. What the Fed is intending to say (but they don't do so) is that an illegal kick retains whatever status it had before it was illegally kicked. For example, if the ball was loose because of a fumble, then yes, it is treated as a continuation of the fumble after it is illegally. If the ball is loose because of a legal kick, it retains the status of a legal kick. If the ball is loose because of a pass, it retains its status as a pass after it is illegally kicked.