After watching many college football games last year, and the signal made by the punt returner to have teammates clear-out, it has become very apparent to me that the NCAA needs to revisit the fair catch rule. The rule for the fair catch symbol is:
•A valid fair-catch signal is the extending and lateral waving of one arm, at full arm’s length above the head, by any member of the receiving team. [2-9-3]
Many, many times, the returner waves both arms below his shoulders, actually at his waist, for teammates to clear the area so he can either: 1) make a play on the ball for a possible return, or 2) make sure the ball does not touch a teammate. On the times where the returner grabbed the ball and started a return, he would be stopped by the referees. This - by the writing of the rule - IS NOT A FAIR CATCH SIGNAL.
This needs to be addressed by the committee and corrected as soon as possible.
Can I get your thoughts and comments on this?