Fight in girls game - sort of

[Eastshire]

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

The tall girl, much to her credit, just turned around and tossed the ball to me. The defender said something to the tall girl (I couldn't hear it) and the tall girl slapped her right across the face!

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

And if I had heard her taunt the other player, that's probably what I would have done. But I didn't hear what she said. She might have just said, "Sorry" or something else like that. Maybe the tall girl was just upset that she got pushed and wanted to retaliate and the words meant nothing at all.

My point is that I wasn't going to assume the defender taunted the tall girl. All I would need is for her coach to ask me what she said to deserve an ejection and I'd have to reply, "DUH, I dunno?"

I think you're burying your head in the sand here and failing to punish the player most at fault. The tall girl goes from cool, calm and collected to slap fighting and you're going to assume the defender was apologizing? I don't think you need to have heard what was said here as it was obviously enough to provoke a fight.

As to what to tell the coach, "It doesn't matter what she said, she provoked a fight."

[APG]

Wondering why you decided not the eject everyone who came off the bench? As JR pointed out, by rule, you should of tossed everyone all those that came off the bench during a potential fight situation. I'd consider someone getting slapped in the face a potential fight situation.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by Eastshire

I think you're burying your head in the sand here and failing to punish the player most at fault. The tall girl goes from cool, calm and collected to slap fighting and you're going to assume the defender was apologizing? I don't think you need to have heard what was said here as it was obviously enough to provoke a fight.

As to what to tell the coach, "It doesn't matter what she said, she provoked a fight."

Sorry, but I think it does matter what she said. If you don't know, you can't do anything with it.

[Eastshire]

Originally Posted by Snaqwells

Sorry, but I think it does matter what she said. If you don't know, you can't do anything with it.

10-3-6c "A player shall not commit an unsporting foul. This includes, but is not limited to, acts or conduct such as: c. Baiting or taunting an opponent."

Whatever she said, it baited her opponent which is an unsporting act. Committing an unsporting act that causes an opponent to retaliate by fighting is considered fighting by rule. Ergo, it doesn't matter what she said.

People generally don't hit people who are apologizing to them. Assuming good intentions by a player who just shoved an opponent in the back stretches my credulity to the breaking point.

[RobbyinTN]

You also do not know for sure that the tall girl was nice to the official but not so much to the other player. Unless I hear the smaller girl say something I can't automatically assume she said something. I can't call what I don't see and I can't call what I don't hear. Yes, most likely the girl taunted her but without definite knowledge I am not going to call it.

[Mark Padgett]

Originally Posted by RobbyinTN

You also do not know for sure that the tall girl was nice to the official but not so much to the other player. Unless I hear the smaller girl say something I can't automatically assume she said something. I can't call what I don't see and I can't call what I don't hear. Yes, most likely the girl taunted her but without definite knowledge I am not going to call it.

Thank you. My position exactly. Maybe she did just apologize and the tall girl just wanted to act "macho" (or whatever the female equivalent of "macho" is - "DeGenerist", perhaps?) and slapped her for that reason.

On the other hand, maybe the defender said something that would be considered extremely taunting to a girl that age, like "You're fat".

[Eastshire]

Originally Posted by RobbyinTN

You also do not know for sure that the tall girl was nice to the official but not so much to the other player. Unless I hear the smaller girl say something I can't automatically assume she said something. I can't call what I don't see and I can't call what I don't hear. Yes, most likely the girl taunted her but without definite knowledge I am not going to call it.

My point is you're not calling what you did see: a player baiting another player into a fight. She doesn't even have to say anything, she just has to commit an unsporting act.

Beyond that you aren't automatically assuming anything. You are using the situation to understand what happened. No call happens in a vacuum. This isn't a player decking someone out of the clear blue.

[Mark Padgett]

Originally Posted by Eastshire

My point is you're not calling what you did see: a player baiting another player into a fight. She doesn't even have to say anything, she just has to commit an unsporting act.

Beyond that you aren't automatically assuming anything. You are using the situation to understand what happened. No call happens in a vacuum. This isn't a player decking someone out of the clear blue.

Really? Imagine this: the tall player made up her mind to slap the defender when the original foul occurred. She then tossed away the ball, heard the defender say "Sorry", and then slapped her anyway.

Is that what really happened? I dunno. But the point is it is at least possible. In any case, I can't assume the defender taunted her without knowing what she said. I am not a lawyer, (and I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night) but I'm sure that's how it would play out in a courtroom.

[VaTerp]

Originally Posted by Eastshire

My point is you're not calling what you did see: a player baiting another player into a fight. She doesn't even have to say anything, she just has to commit an unsporting act.

Beyond that you aren't automatically assuming anything. You are using the situation to understand what happened. No call happens in a vacuum. This isn't a player decking someone out of the clear blue.

I agree with Eastshire. I've had Ts in the past where I didnt hear exactly what was said but it was clear that there was baiting, taunting going on.

Given the context of the situation, its a clear case of baiting the opposing team's best player and it worked in getting them tossed from the game.

IMO, to say that you didnt hear what was said is a cop-out.

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by VaTerp

IMO, to say that you didnt hear what was said is a cop-out.

Howinthehell can that be a cop-out if it's true?

Lah me.........another mind-reader.......

[RobbyinTN]

Based on the assumption that I have to give her a T even though I don't know for a fact that she said something, if I look back and see a player falling to the floor and a player from the opposing team near her, I must call a foul on the girl because why else would she have fallen down unless she was fouled by the opponent.

I sure don't want to have to explain that to the coach

[Mark Padgett]

Originally Posted by RobbyinTN

Based on the assumption that I have to give her a T even though I don't know for a fact that she said something, if I look back and see a player falling to the floor and a player from the opposing team near her, I must call a foul on the girl because why else would she have fallen down unless she was fouled by the opponent.

I sure don't want to have to explain that to the coach

Uh, she slipped or tripped over her own feet? Oh wait, that never happens in basketball.

And I suppose every time a player misses a shot when standing next to a defender you call a shooting foul because, after all, why else would the shooter miss a shot unless fouled by an opponent?

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by Eastshire

Whatever she said, it baited her opponent which is an unsporting act.

And you know that for sure....how?

You'd get blasted out of the water if you ever wrote an incident up like that. All you can put down on a report is what you know. FACTS! and you don't have any proof that a derogatory remark was made to her opponent. You're guessing.

You can't climb on your high horse unless you have a high horse around to climb on. And there ain't a high horse in sight in this one.

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by Snaqwells

Sorry, but I think it does matter what she said. If you don't know, you can't do anything with it.

+1.

We aren't supposed to guess in situations like this.