In pro football, what if ground causes ball carrier to lose ball, but he was not tackled. Play over or fumble?

Fumble. If no one hits the ball carrier and he loses the ball then it's a fumble. In pro football you're not down until someone touches you down, unlike college, where you're down as soon as you hit the ground.

If the ground could cause a fumble it would make the game easier to officiate, but a good rule to remember is that the play is over when the ball is whistled dead. Usually the ground does cause a fumble when an opposing player tackles the carrier and hits him or her so the ball comes out after the arm hits the ground. If one player somehow trips on his own, and fails to hold onto the ball, that is a fumbled ball. The reason for that according to the NFL is because in theory the player lost the ball before it was downed. I am sure it is the same way at all levels.

Fumble would be the ruling. It has happened already this year. Where a player was knocked down by one of his own teammates and the ball fell out when the ball carrier struck the ground. In College that would not be a turnover since you do not have to be touched down. But in the Pros if you are not downed by an opposing player then the ball would be live. I want to say it happened after the Defense made an interception and the DB ran into one of his own lineman fumbling the ball back to the team they just got the turn over from.

yep its a fumble no doubt about it just wach vick lol

fumble