pitch the ball forward

Question
I can't find anything to find if a forward lateral is legal or illegal. The version of a forward lateral I'm concerned with is can a quarterback throw the football underhanded to a reciever ahead of the LOS? i.e. pitch the ball forward. A 49ers play last year had a flag thrown because the quarterback handed the ball off forward (because he was hit while handing it off). Was that considered a forward lateral? So if you could tell me if a quaterback can "pitch the ball forward" or not with some explanation, I would greatly appreciate it.

Answer
Dear TS,
a forward lateral is not legal. You can only lateral the ball to the guy trailing the play not in front of the play.

However on pass plays, the quarterback can pitch the ball forward only if he is behind the line of scrimmage. The officials call this a shovel pass not a pitch, even if we both know it is a pitch.

I hope I was of help to you. If not please let me know.
Your friend, Coach Louis