If the opposing coach was okay with it (it doesn't sound like it by the sound of the article), I'm not standing in their way. The game belongs to the participants, not to us. I'm not looking to hinder the many different processes at work here.
Sounds like it was deceptive. But if there were only 11 guys in the huddle, I don't know of any rule that says one of those guys can't be holding a bottle of water, is there? And if someone came out of the huddle holding water and then chucked it off to the sideline, that's okay, right?
In a similar situation (where a guy came off the sideline and didn't get within 15 yards of the ball, like he's supposed to), I had a very experienced umpire tell me he'd go over to the coach and say "I
know you weren't really trying to deceive anyone there, coach, so I'm not going to flag it, you know what I mean?" Wink-wink, nudge-nudge?
In this situation, with the confluence of good samaritanship, sportsmanship, fair play, and "what's really important in life" and all that, I'd just hold my breath and hope to God I was the wing on the other side of the field and I would all of a sudden notice that my shoes needed tying and I would stay down there tying them until the guy in the white hat sorted it all out. And if he looks at me, I'm not making eye contact.
