Quote:
Originally Posted by OverAndBack
Yes, the ball was thrown close enough for him to catch.
If it was an instance where the ball was in a position where both players had to dive/jump/otherwise attempt to go for it and there was contact, no, I'm not flagging that. That's two players playing the ball who contact each other.
But this was one player ready to make the catch - whether he'd have made it or not without the contact, well, God knows - and the defender coming through him from behind and the side to make the play. I'm sure we've all seen instances where the defender manages to get a hand around the front of the receiver's body and get the ball without touching the offensive player (or barely touching him) and I'm going to probably let that go, too.
Seeing as how everybody I've talked to and all of you folks seem to think that it was interference, I am less confused than I was. Initial instincts were probably correct.
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As a member of the same association, this wasn't clarified very well at the meetings. The obvious intent to impede was used when discussing two players bumping on the route.
In this case, if the receiver is in position to catch the ball and the defender then comes through him, it would be pass interference.
The intention of the philosophy was to make sure that a penalty was called if the receiver's or defender's effort to catch the pass was impeded.
If both players are playing the ball, but they are bumping or hand slapping each other, no foul.