To correct or not . . .

[rpwall]

I am getting in this discussion way late, but for what it is worth it seems to me you have to stick with the rule on this one ... no correction can be made.

The unambiguous NFHS Case Book example, the limitation on Correctable Errors and the specified treatment of AP errors make the ruling "easy" (well, "clear" may be a better description).

If the team who erroneously inbounded the ball did not score, we are not off the hook. We made a mistake. The play stands. But the game has been altered by an official's error. Whether or not a direct score resulted is not relevant.

The error (incorrect team inbounding the ball) is really no different than missing a travel that results in points, or missing a goaltending call that takes points away. We can't put ourselves in the position of opening the door on correcting errors outside of the rule, or we'll be negotiating numerous calls per game. The boundaries have been defined and are really there for our benefit.