IS AN OFFENSIVE FUMBLE RECOVERY FOR A TD A RUSHING TD, A DEFENSIVE TD OR A RECEIVING TD?
This happened a few times in 2003 – most notably with Alan Ricard of the Ravens, Koren Robinson of the Seahawks and Randy McMichael of the Dolphins. A fumble recovery for a TD is just that – a fumble recovery for a TD. Unless your rules specify credit for a fumble recovery for a TD by an offensive player, or have a catchall definition (preferred) of all TDs, you cannot give credit for the fumble recovery for a TD. It is a misnomer to call it a defensive TD because the defensive squad never gained possession of the ball. You cannot call it a rushing or receiving TD, because that would imply a controlled lateral which this clearly is not. Some scoring rules specify that all fumble recoveries for a TD are credited to the defensive team. As long as that is how your rules are stated, and hopefully everyone understands the risk, then giving the defense credit is an acceptable thing to do. The best way to eliminate issues relate to categorization is to change your rules to simply state ANY an
