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Originally posted by KWH ....there is NOWHERE IN THE NFHS RULEBOOK, COMIC BOOK, CASE BOOK, OR HANDBOOK, that allows an official to "sit" a player in the "penalty box" as you have suggested! [/B]
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The first and foremost rule of officiating is to ensure that the right things are done for the improvement of the game.
There's no rules in the rulebook saying I should actually wander to the sideline and demonstrate to an eight-year-old what a hold is, and what it isn't. Yet I do, because at that level, our job as officials are to provide the kids with the foundations they need to improve, or at the very least, enjoy the game.
Very often, coaches in our spring league - and even in our fall bantam and midget (13-15, 16-18) leagues will request that if a player is getting to the point of being a bonehead, to send 'em over so they can sit out for three plays.
I don't know what they teach you, but in our part of the world, we're taught to be preventative. If, by sitting a player down for a series or two, we can prevent idiocy from happening, we do.
In the case that started this, I'd have gladly thrown an "objectionable conduct" penalty (Canadian term for unsportsmanlike, which is an additive 10-yard foul.) I'd consider a similar "benching" based on a number of circumstances - age being the big one.