quote:
Originally posted by KDM on 12-26-1999 09:09 AM
I call that poor officiating. I can' seem to find the 'arguing' rule in my book! No coach should be told to 'SIT', they already know that rule. These officials got what they deserved --- a chance to practice their writing skills in filing a report for the ejection of a coach. As an official, when you have to explain one call to a coach, then you'll have to explain another call to the opposing coach. When you explain the interpretation of "sitting on the bench", then be ready to explain another interpretation to the opposing coach. Also, coaches are allowed to STAND to 'coach' and not to argue and address any official. I hope that these officials learned a valuable lesson from this experience.
If the coaching box is in effect (and I don't know if it is in Mississippi, where George is from), then the coach loses the privilege of using the box for the rest of that game as soon as he/she gets the first technical (direct or indirect). He/she has been "seat-belted." Here in Washington state, where we use the box, the official who does not call the T goes and tells the coach that he/she has lost the box and can't stand to coach anymore (as stated in NF book 10-5 penalty). It sounds like this may have happened at the game George saw.
As far as what I'm willing to put up with when I'm "seat-belting" a coach--I'll usually pause for a moment, listen to the coach, and say "I hear you" or "You've made your point," then turn around. Anything profane or repeated boorishness and I'll send the coach away. (Although, in 3+ seasons, I still haven't booted one!)
Still, just to make it clear--when the coaching box is in effect, after a T, coaches are NOT allowed to stand to "coach" anymore. They can only stand during timeouts, for correctable error-related stuff, to call time-out, to "spontaneously react to an outstanding play", or to do anything else permitted in 10-5-1 or 10-5-2.
Paul