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Expert: - 11/10/2006


Question
Last week at my son's high school game in SC, a fair catch was signaled on a punt.  The receiving team fielded the punt and the punting team then hit the receiver. He maintained possession.  The ref threw the flag and told the receiving team they could take the ball at the spot, or take the penalty yards from the previous line of scrimmage and have the punting team re-kick.  I would have thought it was a dead ball foul, marked off from the spot of the fair catch.  

Answer
Eric,
Don't know what to tell you.  As you describe it it would be a Dead Ball personal foul 15 yards from the end of the run/dead ball spot.  I wonder if there was another live ball foul that the kicking team committed while the ball was loose (in the air).  But as you describe it there is a fair catch then contact.  

If there was no other foul or the play occurred exactly as describe then the penalty enforcement was wrong.

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