Reddings guide illegal participation

[bisonlj]

Originally Posted by ajmc

If you could explain it, rationally, I am absolutely willing to reconsider and based on the strength of the explanation might well be persuaded. Sorry, but use of the phrase "is touching" does not trump the absolute absense of common sense and ridiculous result your interpretation requires.

Let me do this like a prosecutor in court.

Prosecutor: Do you agree the rule says (and I'm paraprhasing a little here with no change in intent), "A player...is out of bounds when any part of the person is touching anything...that is on or outside the sideline or end line."
ajmc: Yes
Prosecutor: Do you agree that "is touching" means the player is currently touching not previously touched or will be touching in the future?
ajmc: Yes
Prosecutor: In the play in question, is the player currently touching anything that is on or outside the sideline or end line?
ajmc: No
Prosecutor: So if the player is not touching anything that is on or outside the sideline or end line, are they, by definition, currently out of bounds?

Your answer to this question will either show you understand the rule or you don't understand the rule.

Even simpler:
Touching = out of bounds
Not touching = not out of bounds

I agree it seems somewhat illogical that the player could step out of bounds, leap into the air, legally touch the ball (bat it into the field of play), and come down out of bounds without committing a foul or otherwise make the ball dead. But that is clearly the way the rule is written and one that isn't that hard to enforce.

Here's another example I heard a few years ago that helped me to understand the rule. Let's say K has a scrimmage kick from the K40 and gunner K10 runs out of bounds on his way to cover the kick. Rather than returning in bounds, he runs all the way down the sideline and touches the ball (while still standing out of bounds) at the R10. The ball is dead as soon as K touches it since he's out of bounds. But he did not illegally participate in the play because he never returned to the field. That also seems illogical but that is the way the rule is written.

Out of curiosity, do you ever get into arguments with the other members of your high school varsity crew about rules questions? What position do you work on your crew? Why do the other people on here call you Alf?