[Question]When a Ball carrier touches somone out of bounds
 

Question from a fan here: On the interception at the end of the half when Fitzgerald was trying to tackle Harrison, it appeared to me that while Fitzgerald was standing out of bounds, he touched Harrison in an attempt to tackle him.

I've watched Mike P's Official Reviews on Total Access this year, and he has emphasized multiple times about a receiving team player who is standing out of bounds touching the ball on a kickoff creating a "kickoff out of bounds" because the ball touches something out of bounds.

In this case, if the ball carrier is touched by someone out of bounds, would the same thing not apply? If so, it does not seem like a very good rule because a defender could just run out of bounds and touch the ball carrier. But, it seemed similar to what Mike P has emphasized all year.

Thanks in advance.

No. Thank about it, if that is all it took to make a player out of bounds, then all tacklers would have to do is run out of bounds and touch a ball carrier.

Not the same thing.

Peace

What Mike P describes and this play are different. On the kickoff out of bounds, the player attempting to possess the ball is out of bounds when he touches a lose ball. In this case, the runner in bounds touches a player who is out of bounds. That does not put the runner out of bounds. Your common sense thought above should have made you realize this would not have put Harrison out of bounds.

Thanks for asking rather than assuming the officials go that wrong.