Coach Beckoned During a Fight
 

2nd year ref. No fights in any games yet.

However, for those that have do you someone "beckon" the coach or is it just understood that he/she's able to come onto the floor to help break up a fight?

Strictly according to the NFHS rules, an official must beckon the Head Coach onto the floor. Otherwise that person will be charged with a flagrant technical foul for entering without permission during a fight. See the note to 10-4-5.

My state has a regulation that the Head Coach may immediately enter as long as he is helpful in the situation, if the coach enters and is a problem, then the usual penalty applies.

I think this regulation is standard practice.

When in Nome...
 

It is standard practice here and was also in the four states in which I previously officiated.
Good sense, too.
I've never seen a coach entering the floor to assist in restoring order who had anything but good intentions, as few were the times I've seen it occur.
Now, if you observe the coach coming into the mix with arms a-swingin', you'd have a different situation, right? :eek:

In a high school game, you're likely to have an arrest report. :)

Well, we all know how I feel about ignoring plainly written rules in order to invoke common sense. :rolleyes:

I would counsel against telling someone that it is "standard practice" to handle something directly opposite of what it says in the NFHS rules book. It would be better to simply advise the person to check with their state or local association and see if there is an overriding regulation or instruction as is the case with my state.

Personally, if there were not a written state regulation to the contrary where I am, I would penalize any Head Coach who violated the note to 10-4-5. In my opinion, common sense would be to follow the rule.

Plainly written is a broad term.

RULE 10, Section 4
The head coach is responsible for his/her own conduct and behavior, as well as
substitutes, disqualified team members and all other bench personnel. Bench
personnel, including the head coach, shall not: ...

ART. 5 . . . Leave the confines of the bench during a fight or when a fight may break out.
NOTE: The head coach may enter the court only if beckoned by an official.
PENALTY: (Art. 5) Flagrant foul, disqualification of individual offender, but
only one technical-foul penalty is administered regardless of the number of
offenders. This one foul is also charged indirectly to the head coach. If the
head coach is an offender, an additional flagrant technical foul is charged
directly to the coach and penalized.


Is that plain enough for you or would you like a scoop of vanilla with that?

I could have guessed as much.

This one is plainly written. I thought you were referring to another thread, which did not seem so plain to the rest of us.

In all my years, I have yet to have a fight of this nature -- just lucky, I guess. I can tell you that several of my peers have. They have indicated that they will IMMEDIATELY beckon the coaches as the coaches are typically in the best position to break up a fight. In the "video age", a coach is taking a HUGE risk simply running on to the court to break up a fight.

As others have pointed out, a coach is taking a potentially huge risk by entering without being beckoned.