Dumb question I 'm sure.

Can coaches come onto the floor when a fight breaks out?
Adminstrators?
Security?

That being said, you may want to consider beckoning the adults who are coming onto the floor if you think their intention is to help you regain control of the situation.

Z

[Edited by zebraman on Jan 27th, 2004 at 11:45 AM]

If you, as the official, beckons them onto the floor. We have an unwritten rule that if the coach comes onto the floor to break up a fight and control his/her player(s), he/she was beckoned.

Not untill you ask for them to. If the coach comes out its a "T". If its a brawl I would hope (for my sake) that security would help. Every situation is different. Try your best during the game not to get to that point.

By rule 10.4 he may not unless he is beckoned by an official. Now the problem is are you going to T up Coac A because he comes on to the floor an gets hols of A1 and drages him off the court? In such a case I would look th other way.

As for Administrators or security, do not interfere with them. At that point, it is out of your hands.

Forgot
 

"Hey coach? How come you didn't come out and help us break up this brawl?" "You forgot to beckon me onto the court!" I think not, common sense says as long as he is on your side and doesn't add fuel to the fire he was beckoned. Another common sense application to the rule. Some people may call it "voodoo" but I'll take common sense anyday!

lol. Common sense is the key. If the coach folds his chair up during a brawl and comes out on the court with it then oviously hes going to be ejected but if hes pulling his players off then I've got nothing. As for Security/Administrators they can help break it up too.

Cuidado!
 

I would be very cautious about letting or beckoning anyone onto the floor during a fight. If the players are upset enough to be fighting the coaches are likely not calm and may not be very helpful. It would be very possible for one coach to be trying to hold his own kid back and have an opposing fighter give the player a nice slug while the coach is holding him. Who's liable now for that injury? The slugger? The coach for holding him? You for beckoning him? where is the greatest money trail? That's likely who will get sued and it is likely us.

I would do my utmost to minimize participants.

That might be your only choice.
 

I do not think that is a valid concern. The fight is going to go on with you or without you. Your objective is to stop the fight. If a coach comes out to stop the fight, let them. You should not get involved or in the middle, because you are the one that is going to get hurt or end up holding a player that might get hit. Or worse, you might hurt someone by trying to push or pull people apart. The rules allow coaches to come onto the floor to break up fights. It has to be broken up somehow and the best adult to do it is a coach. You may not have security personnel or any adult capable to stop any action.

If you worried about getting sued, it might be tool late to split hairs at this point. The coach coming out is only going to help in most cases. If they come out an exacerbate the situation, well that is another story and you need to deal with that acordingly. If you are not directly involved in the breaking up the fight, kind of hard to get sued just for that.

Peace