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Tobacco use in NFHS is prohibited and most high schools also have this as a rule for players and coaches on school grounds. As an official, we must respect the rules that we use to enforce. However, I am sure you guys who dip do not enforce this rule.
That to me is poor judgement. However, I did use my judgement to eject a bench coach this year after the homeplate meeting that stated, no tobacco use. The HC wanted me to not eject, just to keep him in the dugout but I refused. Now, if he had been a base coach, I would have but this guy was a bench coach.
In my professional opinion, he had been chewing the entire time in the dugout, why keep him there. Anyway, the HC told me if I ejected him I would not do any games for him at his place which is a 10 min. drive for me. I did eject the bench coach but guess what?
The assigning secretary for me did take me off my last game to prevent any retaliation or BS in my opinion. This only prove to show that here, coaches are running the show. I did call our state association but no help there. They also told me it would be in my best interest not to do the game. I was amazed that as an official, enforcing the rules for NFHS and our state schools that I am the one who is punished. Oh yea, the bench coach sat out his game but as I watched that team play in the district, coaches were chewing/dipping.
That is the respect that they showed, and others by the way. The problem is tobacco. This stuff is provent to be bad on your health. If we as officials are not going to enforce it, no one is.
My situation is that what do I do the next time I see someone chewing or dipping, turn my head I guess. Then probably get turned into our state association for not enforcing this rule. Sorry for the long post, most of you guys seen it on the other site.
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