How do you cover this?

[rockyroad]

Originally Posted by Back In The Saddle

This is a very good question. There are two reasons I didn't have a whistle, and why I'm still questioning whether I should have a whistle on this.

First, the contact I considered a foul happened at the end of the play. By then my partner was turning into the play and had an immediate whistle. One of the basic tenets I subscribe to for calling in my secondary is: be right, be needed, be late. So my initial reaction is to hold my whistle for half a beat so my partner has first crack at it (since it's his primary). I didn't discover that he had something other than the foul until he was signalling the travel.

Second, the way the play unfolded. I would have had to make a call from trail on a play that was perceived to be right in front of my partner. I would be perceived to be "overruling" my partner. Right or wrong, that's a very slippery slope. And most of the folks I've asked locally about this play have basically said that, in their opinion, you have to let your partner live or die with his call because of this.

My response to your two reasons would be: YOU saw the entire play, start - develop - finish. That makes it YOUR call more than your partners' call. To me, the official who sees the entire play trumps the lines we draw on the court to say "this is my area and that is yours." If I was the L in this play, I would want and EXPECT you to come in with a whistle and get the call right.