The effect of a technical foul on a coach

[Pantherdreams]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

For many years now, the Connecticut interscholastic sports governing body has required referees (not umpires) to file paperwork for any ejection of a coach (one flagrant, two directs, three indirects), which leads to a one game suspension.

This year, my local board (not sure about the other little corners in Connecticut) has instituted a new policy. Any unsporting technical foul given to any coach (head, assistant, varsity, junior varsity, freshman, middle school) will be reported (with minimum paperwork) to our assignment commissioner. If he sees a pattern of poor behavior in a particular coach, he will report such behavior to the school's athletic director and/or principal.

It turns out that athletic directors and principals want to be informed of such poor behavior, especially for coaches in road games, when the athletic director and/or principal may not be physically present to observe such behavior. Athletic directors and principals may use such information for promotions/demotions, and contract renewals. Even coaches who are teachers (and belong to a teacher's union) are all on one year renewable contracts and can be "non-renewed" for cause.

This new policy is mainly aimed at inexperienced subvarsity coaches who tend to abuse inexperienced subvarsity officials, staying under the radar by getting their "licks" in while avoiding game ejections.

Locally we’ve moved to a similar rule. Tracking all techs through conferences and suspensions being tied excessive numbers. I know the intent of the rule is to protect officials but the letter of rule and reality make it nonsensical. T can be for i sporting behaviour, but also delay of game, uniform or book errors. All techs recorded for purpose of rule silly. Also assumes all Ts even for unsportin* are equal. I work in zones where it is expected coaches jump up and down and complain and unless they say the magic words you give them rope, I also work with partners and in zones who t guys up for moving outside the coaching box once or coaching loudly while the other team shoots free throws.

As others have said we should be calling more ts but until a T is a T. Tracking and uniformly recording them makes little sense.