Last night in a game I heard, and read about it in the paper this morning, that a coach asked for a timeout but had no TO's left and the official asscess a 15 yard unsportsmanlike on the coach. Is this correct?? I can not find anything in the rule book about applying a pentalty to a timeout request, other than if you are out of TO's and are questioning a ruling and are wrong then you would asscess a 5 yard delay of game. Am I missing something? Is there a rule reference of Casebook situatuion?

Well, we don't know how the coach reacted when his request for an additional timeout was denied, do we?

He asked for a timeout and was told he can't that he used all of his timeouts.

Again, how did he react? Did he go bonkers, or did he simply back off and say, "Oh ... okay."? It makes a difference. In the latter, an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty would not be warranted.

By the way, a PLAYER must request the timeout, not the coach.

A coach can't request TO.

I just really want to know if you, by rule, can penalize a coach for requesting a timeout when he has no timeouts left?? I understand that if he goes bonkers it would be an unsportsmanlike, I also understand the coach can't request a timeout. Sorry for making this so complex, I should have worded it better than I did. -Thanks

For the act of requesting a TO - no.

Requesting a time-out when time-outs exhausted, request denied

Rule 3-5-5

ART. 5 . . . After a team has used its permissible charged time-outs for the half, any subsequent request shall be denied unless it is for:

a. An apparently injured player who is designated when the request is made.
b. Necessary repair to player equipment.
c. The review of a possible misapplication or misinterpretation of a rule.

Maybe the coach commented on the denial?

Thanks, for the replies that is what I thought, I just wnted to know if I was missing something. Thanks to all!!

I believe it's only in basketball that you penalize for calling a timeout when none are left. I do have an additional question. On Ed Hickland's post, rule 3-5-5 Art 5 C, if a coach were to call a timeout to discuss a misapplication of a rule, what happens if the officials are correct and the coach is wrong? He can't be charged for the timeout if he has none left. What then do you have? Would it then be a penalty?

Delay of game foul charged to the calling coach's team.

Out of Time outs
 

This can be a sticky situation. If the number of T.O's matter it is usually late in the game, and the game is close. This an instance where preventative officiating pays great dividents.

1. Have the wings inform the coach, as he breaks the team huddle or as his team returns to the field the # of T.O.'s that he has left after each T.O.

2. I stick my head into the offensive huddle (as the R) and inform the players that after the last time out- "You are out of Time Outs- dont ask for any." The U does the same for the defense.

3. Any request for an excessive T.O. is met with a shake of the head and the response, "You are out of Time Outs. In no case will we grant an escessive T.O.- no matter how urgent the request.

It is imparative that all of the crew know how many T.O.'s each team has. We remind one another when they are out-just as we remind the team.

4. When a coach wants to call a T.O. but the players dont hear him, we will direct the closest player to "Look at your bench." If it is close to the snap, we will grant the T.O. and write down the # of the closest player.

There is no reason not to grant a team a T.O. that it wants. There is enough to call during a game- you certainly dont have to find a foul here, when a foul can easily be prevented.