Although my supervisor thinks that this is a clear case of a momentum exception, I think this is a borderline case, and you can easily argue either a safety or a ME. Would be nice to hear the official CFO take on this.
From Steve Shaw
This is a judgement call by the covering official. I am copying Rule 8-5-1 with some highlighted areas:
SECTION 5. Safety
How Scored
ARTICLE 1. It is a safety when:
a. The ball becomes dead out of bounds behind a goal line, except from an
incomplete forward pass, or becomes dead in the possession of a player
on, above or behind his own goal line, or becomes dead by rule, and the
defending team is responsible for the ball being there (A.R. 6-3-1-IV;
A.R. 7-2-4-I; A.R. 8-5-1-I-II, IV and VI-X; A.R. 8-7-2-II; and A.R. 9-4-
1-VIII).
When in question, it is a touchback, not a safety.Exception:
It is not a safety if a player between his five-yard line and his goal line:
(a) intercepts a pass or fumble; or recovers an opponent’s fumble or
backward pass;
or catches or recovers a kick; and
(b)
his original momentum carries him into his own end zone; and
(c) the ball remains behind his goal line and is declared dead in his team’s
possession there. This includes a fumble that goes from the end zone
into the field of play and out of bounds (Rule 7-2-4-b-1).
If conditions (a)-(c) are satisfied above, the ball belongs to this player’s
team at the spot where he gained possession.
We can support the covering officials decision if he felt that it was not the players “original momentum” that carried him into the end zone. That said, our officiating philosophies would dictate “when in question, it is a touchback, not a safety.” My first reaction was get the beanbag down where the player gained possession, and rule
1st & 10 at the spot of recovery. Some plays are not black and white.
Correction edited in