Bench Decorum

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by JetMetFan

NFHS 10-4-1c says coaches/bench personnel shall not use profanity or inappropriate language or obscene gestures.

In other words, by rule it doesn't matter if they say it to us, the other team or their own players.

You obviously did not read or understand what I said if you are referencing the rules on profanity. And in the real world people use profanity and many people cannot agree what is profane or what is out of line. And since language and meaning changes all the time, what one person finds offensive or profane, another person finds just acceptable.

Originally Posted by JetMetFan

I work the majority of my H.S. games for the NYC Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL). For the 2010-11 season the PSAL adopted a no tolerance policy on profanity...esssentially, telling us to enforce 10-3-6b and 10-4-1c to the letter. I rang up a coach this season who dropped an F-bomb during OT after his team turned the ball over...and he said it loud enough that players on the other team heard him. He was more embarrassed than upset...and relieved because his team won.

One thing I will say is it has cut down on a lot of player/player nonsense as well as stuff directed towards us.

That is wonderful where you live and that they have a policy, but I can imagine that many places do not have a specific policy on what specific language is considered profane and then it is up to the judgment of the officials to decide what they will tolerate and what to penalize. I work in many places that if I penalized every bad word I would have multiple Ts a game. Often all you have to do is have a little word and it amazingly stops. But again unsporting behavior is not only about bad words and this is what the OP was asking, not about profanity. I do not see stomping as an illegal act in the rulebook, but if done in the right context it would be considered illegal.

Peace