3 Seconds - About Time

[M&M Guy]

Originally Posted by BLS

In NFHS rules, I couldn't find the allowance for suspending a violation ruling "when, before 3 seconds, an offensive player starts to move to leave the restricted area". There is only an allowance for players moving to try for goal.

Am I missing something in NFHS?

No, you're not. And if you look up at the article wanja posted, the mention of suspending the count while leaving the restricted area is under "NCAA Areas of Concern".

Now, that said, I've always included that line of thinking in NFHS games. I cannot remember if it is an actual interp, or if it was simply an example given to me by a more experienced official, but I was told to suspend the count in the case of an offensive player trying to get out of the lane, and is blocked by a defensive screener or "traffic". It doesn't seem fair (damn, now I'm using that word...) to call the violation when the player is actually trying to get out and cannot due to actions by the defense. Does anyone remember if they've seen that interp somewhere?