Quote:
Originally Posted by offici88
Official policy---no. But it's a credibility factor. My response may simply be "OT is an extension of the 4th quarter."
I'll always preface a question about quarters with "it's not my jurisdiction but my understanding is...."
I don't want to be the jerk who is unhelpful. Yes, coaches should know the rules, but they expect that I know the rules as well.
Same for players who have been tossed from a game. It's not my place to tell a coach a player can or cannot play the next game. (State Association requires 1 game suspension.) I'll state that I'm not in a position to make the determination for the coach, but the general principle is to sit a game. I encourage the coach to talk with his her AD and the state association to be sure.
|
In Kansas several years ago, we were instructed not to tell coaches the eligibility rules. We weren't expected to track eligibility, and a player who had used all available quarters of play could still play in the game - it just counted as an additional game played and would hinder his ability to play in another game that season.
As officials, having any sort of discussion - especially one where "well, I'm not sure but I think he's okay to play" is bad news. If we're wrong, then we've potentially contributed to costing a player a game of eligibility. The coach will certainly use the "but the official told me it was okay" excuse to his admin/the state. And then the official will be getting a call about "why did you do that?"
We were instructed to say, when asked, something like, "Coach, we aren't given instruction in the rules on eligibility, and we don't enforce those rules, either. You'll have to ask your AD. Sorry we can't help."