Was reading my rule book tonight....

[Nevadaref]

Originally Posted by mbyron

It's worth noting that filing a report with the state association is not, strictly speaking, a penalty. (And, Nevada, don't you prefer to speak strictly?)

Did I state that it was a penalty? I believe that I said that it was something additional. In other words the official taking it upon himself to go beyond what is required. Why?

Originally Posted by mbyron

If the state chooses to sanction the school or team or coach, then that would be a penalty, presumably within their purview.

Sure, and why is that coach or team getting slapped with an additional penalty? Because an individual official decided to make an issue out of something. I would guess that the school is going to receive a copy of that report and that there may well be some acts of reprisal against the official. The school may feel that the particular official is out to get them or somehow wants them penalized more. I could see this leading to a deletion. Not that I would be deterred by that, if I felt that it was the right thing to do. As I already said each person needs to make his own decision about that.

Originally Posted by mbyron

It's my position that, in view of the seriousness of the offense, the state should know about it.

I don't see why you believe that video tape is serious offense. What's so unsporting about video tape anyway. What if they looked at the same tape in pregame? Is it now devious for them to view it again? I'm missing the nastiness of the issue here.
Is there some huge benefit that a team receives from a video? I would guess that it might be more beneficial than a chalk board, but not so drastic as to alter the outcome of the game.
BTW what if the home scoreboard showed a video replay on the big screen and the coach told his kids on the bench to watch it or he took a time-out and had his team watch a replay while standing at the bench?

Originally Posted by mbyron

BTW, in the post-Patriots photography era, I find it difficult to believe that a high school varsity coach would not know this rule.

You make a good point about the publicity, but I believe that the Patriots issue was that they were stealing signs and play calling from tape of the opposing sideline, not simply that video of the game or on field action was being viewed. I've certainly seen still photos that are overhead shots of defensive formations and such being looked at and discussed on NFL sidelines. The video itself wasn't the illegal issue it was what they were specifically attempting to do with the video.