If you take an official's timeout for an injured player and the players ask for water, how do your crews adminster this situation. Do you let the coaches have an authorized conference since you are letting water on the field? Since the referee is letting water on the field, does this change the official's timeout to a heat/humidity timeout? Are you as a referee every going to deny a player or coaches request for water in this injury timeout situation? Please let me know your thoughts.

No, I don't believe it changes the TO from injury to heat/humidity. If it's for an injury and it appears it could be a minute or so before the player can leave the field, we allow water but we don't allow the coaches to come to the huddle. The players may move closer to the sideline but we don't allow the coach to come unto the field.

My crew asks both teams to move away from the injury and take a knee, or move far enough away that medical personnel has easy access to the injuried player. We allow only waterboys out on the field to give players water. We do not allow coaches to instruct their players from the field at this point. Watch for the coaches though. They can sneak out!

What does it matter if it is an injury timeout and the players ask for water. If both teams are allowed to have an authorized conference now, then why can't the coaches come out on the field just like any other authorized conference situation? Water is out on the field now, so we are now changing the injury timeout to a heat/humidity timeout.