[just another ref]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

By rule, the ball doesn't actually become dead until the whistle is blown by the official. There is no provision in the dead ball rule for the ball to become dead at either the request, or at the granting, only for an official's whistle. Everything is relevant until the whistle is sounded.

We can certainly debate whether, or not, the official should verify that the ball is still in player control after verifying that the request is being made by the head coach.

That specific issue is certainly up for debate. But please let's not use that specific issue to muddy the water in regard to when the ball actually becomes dead.

We cannot debate when the ball becomes dead. That's already in black and white in the rulebook. It becomes dead when the whistle sounds, there is no such thing as a "retroactive dead ball". The ball neither becomes dead at the request, nor at the granting, unless either happens simultaneously with the whistle.

You can look it up (Casey Stengel).

You can debate it or not debate it but this is one of those examples of the rule says one thing but the way it is done is another. We had a long discussion about this a while back as it related to the player going out of bounds asking for timeout. He asked for timeout a split second before he lands out of bounds, but he lands before the whistle. Do you give him the timeout or call the violation? A strict reading of the rule says one thing but the way things are says another.