Quote:
Originally Posted by Rich
While we always say everyone starts with a clean slate, the truth is that a coach who is famous for being a prick doesn't deserve a long leash.
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Our interpreter just discussed the "clean slate" issue at our meeting on Sunday. He discouraged us from "keeping one in our pocket".
Truth is, pregame conversations often include topics of team tendencies and coach tendencies.
Had a young official work his first varsity game for a coach known for being tough on officials a few days ago. He was concerned about this going into the game.
We told him what to expect, the coach has high expectations for officials and let's them know when they may have screwed up, but then he immediately deescalates the situation and starts "coaching" again, especially if he's not ignored, even if it's just a gesture or body language (no long conversations needed) that shows him that you've heard him.
I was only there for the first half of the game, but it played out just like we told him, a few coach comments ("She got fouled"), a few acknowledgments of said comments ("No coach, I had a real good look at it"), no outbursts, no warnings, no technical fouls (nothing even close).
I've been working with this coach for almost four decades and I guarantee that if he thought he was being ignored, things could have escalated. I'm not saying that they would escalate to a technical foul, but he could have come close to crossing some lines in the sand that would require some decisions on the part of the crew.