I took my annual Memorial Day Weekend trip to Hartford, Ct to officiate the CT Starter Girls Summer Classic. Last game of the tournament played between two teams who are both heading for the 16U AAU Nationals. During a timeout early in the first half the coach for team A requests and is granted a full timeout. Mechanics puts my position at the block on same end as team A's bench. The coach is yelling extremely loud at his players of which every word is clearly heard. In the course of his tirade against his players he drops a number of f-bombs (as a noun, verb, adjective, adverb and even just as an interjection). to make matter worse, if that is possible, he also included a few BS's and a smattering of several others of "George Carlin's 7 that cannot be said on TV".

The NF Rule Book POE says the huddle is not a sanctuary for profanity. Ronnie Girourd, on the NF rules committee, wrote in the NF Newsletter that profanity should not be tolerated and to assess the immediate T.

If you were in my shoes what would you have done?

1. Ignore?
2. Warn?
3. T?
4. Ejection?

If you pick 2,3,or 4 what do you say to coach to inform him of your dcecision?

T 'im up. Tell him to clean it up or he can have a 2nd and take the rest of the day off.

I would not ignore it. I might poke my head into the huddle and say, "Coach, I need you to tone down the language". But I wouldn't give him any more rope than that.

Probably during a summer league if you T him you are probably going to end up ejecting him shortly after the first T. I would probably tell him to tone it down big time and certainly ring him up the next time. Basically, I'm in the same boat as Chuck.

I probably would just warn. First of all it is AAU. The consequences are not the same as NF or high school games, nor are the expectations the same as those levels. I would probably say a little word to the coach and move on. This is something the tournament directors should really handle. I have in the past tried to use NF logic only to have an AAU Tournament Director to shoot me down. I would rather let the tournament people handle it.

Peace

Rutledge had a point. As always. You gotta go with what the tournament director wants. If it were me, I'd warn first, but before there's a chance for a reprise, find out what's expected. If the tournament director doesn't care, I probably wouldn't work for him again.

It would also be hard to not yell at the parents. How can they put up with that crap? I never understand why parents think that's okay.

About 30 seconds into the timeout I heard someone behind me mention the coach's language. I had heard enough so I looked to the timer and motioned to him to sound the horn. I approached the team bench area and said "Coach, that was the 1st horn. Also, I let you make your point to your team but the language I heard is unacceptable and I hope I do not hear it again." He gave me an icy look and grunted but said nothing. We resumed the game and during the next dead ball I overheaard a couple of his players say it was about time someone said something to the coach about his language.

A few minutes later, the team was still playing badly and he requested his 2nd timeout. I reported this to the table and before I could go to my spot he tore into his team again starting to use the same profane language but his voice was not as loud. I stepped in immediately and informed him any further profanity would result in my taking care of the situation by rule?

Although he stopped the profanity he started to whine about how I was crimping his coaching style, I was impeding his way to motivate his players, "just let me coach in peace", "I'm going to report you to the tournament manager".


I called his bluff and instructed someone at the site to get both the site manager and tournamnet manager there ASAP. Then quickly put the ball back in play to get the game going and end the conversation.

At halftime, I talked to both the site director and the tournament manager. Both said at first that what goes on in the huddle should not concern me as it was the parents' job to take care of the coach. When I verified to them both that I did have the authority by rule to assess T and eject they accepted it but didn't like it. I also informed the tournament manager that since it was his tournament, if he was OK with coaches using profanity toward the players then he could make that decision. If so, I would have to leave as I could not officiate in that kind of environment.

The 2nd half went smooth with no repeats of the vulgarities.

Sounds good to me.

Coach: Let me coach in peace!
Ref: Peace is fine. Profanity isn't.

I would have issued a T without even talking to him. If he doesn't take the message and does it again, he would leave.

I really don't care whether the coach, my assignor, or the tournament director likes my decision or not.

I'm very much in favor of Mr. Long informing the director that he would leave if that language was allowed in the event.

He swore for the cycle. Oh, Mr. Whackinator. Where are you?

I really don't understand the expectations of some of these people who run these tournaments, how they want more leash to be given to coaches, yet then expect us to maintain the same level of control. I had an AAU tourney game where I had 2 Ts in the first half, one on a player, the other on the HC, who did not maintain a semblence of discipline for his team. He complained about being penalized and one of the tournament directors came by listened to his complaint, then informed me that if I were to issue another T, I had to first warn officially and have it written in the book. He understood when I told him, though, that I would do what I had to do to control the game. The tournament directors obviously need to placate coaches, but having this type of atmosphere to officiate in is not pleasant.

Did you inform him that the rules of basketball don't work that way? :(

I'm seriously waiting for the officials to become so disgusted with these TDs that they just walk out of the gym and let them try to play the games without officials. Perhaps the tournament director will have to go find a whistle! :eek:

LOL!!!
Those would be some of the best officiated games ever! After the TD and the HC wrestle each other to the floor, the players will continue to play and call their own fouls. :rolleyes:

But seriously, in the summer I am a lot more lenient with the coaches, but profanity is always a no-no. There is always a coach that uses 'Bobby Knight' technique will lil' 4 year old BJ sits on the bench soaking up every word. I often take my son and daughter to the tournaments as well. If I can't say it in front of them, no one else can.

Well you are playingg under NCAA rules I assume... I would have warned or Ted.

Well in a tournament we were enforcing bench decorum and we wouldnt let an assistant coach stand for the head coach. The TD tells us (a) there is no bench rule (b)he's never heard of it (c) wants to see it in the rulebook. We gladly gave him the rulebook told him it was in rule 10. Anyways I don't think he ever found it and quit looking after a couple minutes.

You warned him once, and then warned him again? Daryl, I see that you don't want to be overzealous, it's summer-ball, etc. However, I have always been taught if a stop sign is warranted, give it, but never give another one! I would assume that the next "no-no" this coach did would result in a T after the second warning you gave him, but for a lot of coaches, getting 2 warnings = free reign. Warn him once (if you choose to do it at all), and then whack him. When he complains it's simple:

"Coach, unsportsmanlike conduct is a technical foul. By using multiple f-bombs to 14-16 year old girls that everyone in the gym can hear, you were acting in an unsporting manner." If he doesn't like it, then he can b!#(h all he wants to the parking lot. If the TD doesn\'t like it, then he can go find another official, IMO.