Is this against the rules??

[TimTaylor]

I agree with Camron. The penalty for leaving the court for an unauthorized reason was CHANGED from a T to a violation (not modified, ammended or otherwise tweaked to meet specific circumstances). Absent some type of related unsportsmanlike conduct, the only possible call is a violation. There is no longer any basis in the rules for assessing a T for this.

While I agree it would have been ideal if one of the officials noticed it right away when the player left the court and immediately whistled the violation, in the reality of a game situation I can see how it could get missed initially.