Interesting Play

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by Raymond

BillyMac,

Just because a person in authority makes a statement, that doesn't make it an official interpretation, whether they said in front of a symposium or in an email exchange. Based on your logic, every word that comes out of an interpreter's mouth is an official interpretation even if they're at a bar drinking and having a conversation about basketball rules. I wish you would stop doing that and start using a little common sense on what an official interpretation or ruling is.

An official interpretation is published guidance from the organization in authority.

Amen. Takes a lot more than an indivdual email to change an overall stance of the organization.

Peace

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

Takes a lot more than an individual email to change an overall stance of the organization.

Depends on who the individual is, under what authority the sender has to send such an email, to whom the email is sent, and the purpose of the email.

If the editor of the NFHS basketball rulebook sent an email to the leaders of all fifty state interscholastic sports governing bodies regarding a NFHS rule or interpretation clarification, that has to carry some weight. Even one such email sent to just one state interscholastic sports governing body answering a clarification question would carry some weight in that state.

Of course, the state interscholastic sports governing bodies would have the responsibility to spread the word.

Is a lamp brought into a house to be set under a basket, or put under a bed; or is it not brought in to be set on a candlestick, a lampstand, so that that light may shed abroad in the whole house for the greatest benefit? (Mark 4:21)

This was not the case in the email quoted in this thread. This "poorly worded", possibly hastily produced, email statement, from a NFHS rules expert, sent as a reply to a single person (not knowing the actual question asked), and only shared with Forum members (and possibly a few others), doesn't seem to carry much weight.