Authorized person

Originally Posted by David B

I know what the rules states; however, if you read 3-3-1a, what does it state? Penalty is ..... a warning!

As mentioned throughout this thread, its NOT clear for this exact play.

There the umpire is left to use his judgment (which is why he is there to start with)

But if the umpire judges it to be "minor" by nature he is instructed to not eject the offender. The umpire may warn the offender and then eject him if he repeats the action.

The section that you state verbatim says the umpire "may" restrict or eject.

The key word is "may" - does not state shall, or should, but "may".

Thus my post above about being judgement all the way.

What I quoted only applies to COACHES, who should know better and thus are held to a different standard. The coach was the subject of this thread. What it doesn't say is MAY WARN, MAY RESTRICT, OR MAY EJECT. If that was an option for coaches, it would say so. It doesn't, therefore it is not an option. If a coach violates 3-3-1j, the umpire can restrict ot eject as his only options. A player who violates 3-3-1j may be warned or ejected.