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I have stated for several years that the NFHS needs to clarify how to administer the fighting penalties. There needs to be about three case plays which detail the permutations. In my opinion, they are unclear and quality officials can legitimately come up with different ways to administer the same situation. That isn’t a positive.
Bob has nicely suggested using the simultaneous foul rule to allow for all of the Ts to offset. It certainly simplifies the mess and avoids attempting numerous FTs, but is it actually correct? We certainly know there is a sequence to these fouls. Even if the first two or three happen in a short time span, the foul by B3 definitely occurs later and the entering of the court happens after the initial swing and retaliation by two Team B players.
Another issue in this scenario is that none of the technicals can form a double technical foul because of the definition, which requires two opponents to foul each other. Only A1 and B1 commit acts against each other, but one of them is during a live ball, so that nixes those from the double technical category.
My current understanding is that fighting technicals by players in the game cannot offset any by team members who enter the court. The NFHS puts them into two different buckets. It would be great to have a case play that clarifies this though. Or even states the opposite!
So if I were to administer the play as described above:
1. Personal foul by B1
2. Flagrant technical foul by A1.
3. Either an intentional or flagrant technical foul by B2. (Need to see the severity of this contact to decide.)
4. Either an intentional or flagrant technical by B3. (Need to see the severity.)
5. Flagrant technical fouls by A6 & A7 per rule. A7 is deemed to have participated.
Consequences:
1. Three team fouls on each team.
2. Two indirect technicals charged to Team A’s Head Coach (= Loss of coaching box.)
3. A1, A6, and A7 are disqualified. B2 and B3 are DQ’d if their fouls were ajudged to be flagrant, but not if only intentional dead ball contact.
4. Administer all of these penalties in the order of occurrence: any FTs due to B1’s personal foul will be attempted by a sub for DQ’d A1; Team B then attempts 2 FTs for A1’s T, followed by Team A attempting four FTs for the two techs by B2 & B3, and finally Team B shoots four FTs (2 for A6 entering and participating, plus 2 for A7 just entering). Now award a division line throw-in to Team B.
It is not as simple as Bob’s suggestion and that is the problem with the lack of clear information from the NFHS on fights/altercations.
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