Is kicking a fumble legal?

[Cobra]

Originally Posted by PackersFTW

I'll go try to Google this some more. I'm still confused about what happens if it's not 4th down, you boot it 20 yards down field, and the defense recovers the ball. Do they decline the penalty (which is what exactly, 10 yards? 15?)? What if the defense kicks it and then recovers? I'm guessing the offense accepts the penalty and it automatically reverts back to the offense or something?

I'm not going to look up how the NFL handles it but in Federation it is simple all but one enforcement.

If the offense has the ball and they fumble it will be a loose ball play if the fumble was in or behind the NZ and a running play if it happened beyond the NZ. Basic spot for a loose ball play is the previous spot and for a running play it is the end of the related run.

So A fumbles. Ball is on the ground and A kicks it; that is a foul. So if the foul happened beyond the basic spot the penalty (15 yards) is enforced from the basic spot. If it happened behind the basic spot then the penalty is enforced from the spot of the foul. Of course the other team could decline the penalty if they wanted.

B will not be able to keep the ball if they foul while on defense. Just because the ball is loose does not mean that they are no longer of defense.