Wrestler Takes Official to Court Over Judgment Call

[WhistlesAndStripes]

Originally posted by M&M Guy
I gotta give both referees in that match kudos for making that call - they both had the kahunas about the size of a certain squirrel that shows up around here occasionally.

You mean this one?

[WhistlesAndStripes]

OK, let me preface this by saying I have never been a wrestler, never officiated a wrestling match, and quite frankly, can't stand the thought of 2 big sweaty guys rolling around on a mat together.

That being said, I went to the NFHS website to look up the online rule book. As best I can tell, the rule the official cited about having to penalize the wrestler for throwing his headgear, falls under the "unsportsmanlike conduct" rule in wrestling. Nothing I have read in the article or anything else indicates that this was done in an unsporting manner, but rather, it was a move of celebration. Sounds like a bull$hit call to me.

[Back In The Saddle]

Originally posted by Whistles & Stripes
OK, let me preface this by saying I have never been a wrestler, never officiated a wrestling match, and quite frankly, can't stand the thought of 2 big sweaty guys rolling around on a mat together.

That being said, I went to the NFHS website to look up the online rule book. As best I can tell, the rule the official cited about having to penalize the wrestler for throwing his headgear, falls under the "unsportsmanlike conduct" rule in wrestling. Nothing I have read in the article or anything else indicates that this was done in an unsporting manner, but rather, it was a move of celebration. Sounds like a bull$hit call to me.

I was once a wrestler, and learned about this rule the hard way. I was mad at my own performance and tossed my headgear. Ahhh, memories.

What we don't know is how wrestling officials are instructed to call this. Without having read the NFHS's comments on the new jersey rule, it would seem absurd to penalize a player for removing the jersey to celebrate at the end of a big win. It would seem absurd to penalize a player for removing the jersey at the bench when required by rule to change it due to blood. But however absurd it may seem, that's the way we're being told to call it.

[Mark Dexter]

Are there any wrestling officials in here? (Or can we sneak over to the wrestling board?)

The one thing that seems contentious to me is the fact that the penalty was assessed after the match was signalled to be over (the handshake). I don't know what the wrestling rule is for infractions observed/committed before the end of the match but penalized after the end of the match, but it raises two lines of thought.

(1) If there is a 2nd official, why did the 1st official declare the match over without at least looking at the 2nd official? In football, the R will take a look around the field for yellow before ending a period/game.

(2) The only rule that I know like this is the basketball rule 2-2-4. Once you "declare" the game over, you can't go back and fix something.

[Forksref]

I'd say this is similar to the rule in track where the relay runner's team is DQ'd if he throws the baton after the race is over. I lay some of the blame on the coaches for not teaching the athletes the rules. "Whether we like it or not, here's the rule kid and don't screw up!"