Question
We’ve seen lots of short kickoffs lately, how does a team get possession if the ball is touched before it goes out of bounds?
Answer
On a short kickoff, when a player of either team is the last to touch the ball, either he or the ball must come down in bounds.
If the ball lands in bounds, it is obviously live and whoever recovers it will gain possession.
If the ball lands out of bounds after being touched, the player who touched it must land in bounds. If he does not land in bounds, we rule a kickoff out of bounds, and penalize appropriately.
Tom Higgins is the CFL’s Director of Officiating. Prior to joining the Canadian Football League office, Higgins spent more than 25 years as a player, coach and personnel director.
