Quote:
Originally posted by Bradley Batt
If you screw this up, it is your fault and there is nothing that you can do about it. Setting aside the rule will only make matters worse.
Think about the last time you saw an NCAA Division I game where one official signaled a charge and the other a block. What did they do? They went to a double foul call. Why? Because that is the rule. Setting aside that rule in an attempt to avoid some embarassment will compound the problem.
The heart of the issue is fairness, and if some officials choose to set aside certain rules simply to save face, or for any reason at all, the game is not being played fairly at all.
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Proceeding in a manner differing from the Rules Book is never a light matter. Yet, if the issue is REALLY about fairness in this specific scenario, then depending on the game circumstances, correcting the error so there is "no harm done" to either team may still be the "right" thing to do. Blindly following the dictum of the Case Book situation mentioned does not necessarily make it the fair thing to do, particularly if in the official's judgment everyone will accept a re-do. In fact, it may be that the only persons considering it UNFAIR to correct the situation are those who cling to the letter of the law--the coaches, players and fans may shake their collective heads (or worse) at the official, but chances are they will accept the correction as the proper procedure. The simultaneous block and charge call in that college game is not an analogous situation, since it is not a blatant error per se that would have an obvious correct solution.
I'm not saying the official SHOULD correct the inbounds mistake and resulting basket, but I am suggesting that he should consider the game circumstances and then use his discretion as to whether to allow the goal or bring it back. Game management itself is not necessarily facilitated by strict adherence to every rule--we allow flexibility in many situations by "passing" on certain calls--but by how the game officials enforce and administer the rules. Correcting this obvious error may, in fact, make the most sense from a game management standpoint if the officials determine it would be the best course of action in that particular game, even if it isn't quite what the rule book says.