Sideline Warning (under 2 minutes)
 

Second quarter. 1:30 on the clock.

Team A runs the ball and is short of the first down. A1 is tackled inbounds. During the play, the head coach of Team B is flagged for, and given, a sideline warning.

Can Team A choose to start the clock on the snap?

Why or why not?

I would say no. Nothing about a SW has anything to do with the clock stopping other than to apply the penalty of the warning. If you would have continued the clock running, you start it on the ready. If the clock was stopped, you start it on the snap.

Peace

I believe they do have the option. Here's why:

Team A leads by 2 with 40 seconds remaining in the game & the clock running. B is out of timeouts. With 5 seconds remaining on the play clock, A's coach steps into the restricted area, shouts to his QB, and is flagged for a SW.

If we restart the clock after this warning, Team A can end the game without having to snap the ball, and has gained an advantage not intended by the rules.

I agree. A sideline warning is a foul and the penalty prescribed for the first offense is a warning. The penalty is accepted without inquiry because it is of no consequence and doesn't change anything for either team whether it's accepted or declined. So an accepted penalty means 2 minute options for the offended team. This isn't clearly defined and is definitely a gray area, so consulting a state interpreter is a good idea. For Virginia, our interpreter has ruled that the offended team is awarded the timing option. Other states may obviously differ.

It's a valid reason for starting it. I'm running the play by our state supervisor for a ruling in my state.

Our State Interpreter has agreed it does qualify, and the offended team does get the option.

Couldn't you just start the clock on the snap anyway under the "team attempting to consume time illegally" provision? That's what I'd have done last year in this situation.

I think some white hats would not do that. I am sure that is why there is now a rule.

I think many of you are making a stretch out of this rule. The rule IMO was not designed for an SLW as the penalty for that is only a warning and no yardage. It has no other consequence and never did. It was not like an illegal forward pass or a false start. I would not give that option at all in this situation unless I had direct guidance to do so. And I have not been given any such guidance.

Peace

I'm certainly not suggesting giving the offended team an option to start the clock on the snap is a crushing penalty, but when there is NO consequence to an inappropriate behavior - what's the point in calling attention to it?

Can't suggest this applies to every situation, but a really good percentage of the time, the 1st Official warning, involving a flag, stopping the clock and and publicly gesturing (signalling) is FAR from being the first request for cooperation ANY sideline is being asked for.

Keeping the restricted area clear is a sound idea, that EVERYBODY should understand, agree with and cooperate with. I would hope most coaches do exactly that, simply because it makes perfect sense. Some don't, often simply because they won't, and the more warnings, pleas, explanations we try have no effect BECAUSE there is no negative impact.

Perhaps a better solution would be to leave it up to the game officials to decide how many requests for cooperation are necessary, and to decide when that approach is not working and a line is crossed deserving a penalty. A real penalty, to jog the memory of why you learned to listen to your father before he slapped you. Why not start with 15 yards, that would undoubtedly gain EVERYONE'S attention, and serve to more effectively eliminate people wandering into the restricted area, which is the overall OBJECTIVE.

Sideline warning in my experience gets everyone's attention. When we throw a flag anyway, teams are worried about what we just called. When they get only a SW, then they feel relieved or it wakes them up that this crew is not playing. I have even had the opponent of the team that got the SW, act differently as they know they are on thin ice. Also in my area, we are encouraged to use SW for conduct as well as issues with the sideline. And then the next penalty is a Sideline Interference which is a 5-yard penalty. So the progression IMO works well and usually ends at the SW level.

Peace