The timing of when contact was made by Bears CB Charles Tillman was the determining factor.
"The key is that the receiver was contacted by the defender before he got both feet down so he is therefore considered to be going to the ground and has to hold on to the ball throughout the whole process," the spokesman said.
This still doesn't really answer the question of how long it takes after contact before the receiver is no longer "going to the ground" if he, you know, doesn't go to the ground.
So confused. If the "key" is the contact by the defender, why does the rule say: "if a player goes to the ground in the act of catching a pass (with or without contact with an opponent)"?
ReplyDeleteIt's a terrible rule, and the fact that the League doesn't even know what it means doesn't help anything.