4th and 20 for A at its 30 yard line.

The official has already blown the ready with more than 25 seconds left in the game. Clock ticks down to :20 seconds left in the game and an A player requests an officials time out because he can't get his chin strap fastened.

-or-

Same situation as above, but you observe an A player deliberately disable his equipment, and request an official's time out to repair it.

What do you do? Do you start the clock on the ready and let time expire, or do you start it on the snap? In the second situation do you have a flag?

Tough one. I'd start it on the snap, and take the heat from A's coach. If he started to complain, I'd tell him that I could have just flagged his team for failure to wear proper equipment, but this way I'm saving his team 5 yards.

First question. What's the score?

My question - what is the FED rule (word for word) regarding this.

I think if the game is close, I tell the kid he better call timeout - if he doesn't I flag it. Then you have justification for not starting the clock on the snap. If you stop it and don't flag it (based on my admittedly limited knowledge of FED rules), I don't believe you have any justification for not starting the clock (of course, you could always fall back on the God rule here.)

Another idea: Grant an official timeout for the equipment. But restore the clock to what it was when the RFP was blown. This way there are no flags, equipment as fixed, and it's like nothing ever happened.

A is ahead I'm guessing.

I'd call official TO, start it on the snap. You can't reset the play clock in my opinion, this is a 3-6-3 play, I believe.

I asked about the score because it will determine how you react regardless of the rules.

By rule, you simply start the clock and let everything happen.

If an A player deliberately forced a timeout for equipment repair, you allow it. To penalize a player at this point in my belief is being overly officious. Coach A will probably go ape in which case you end up tossing him for an USC. The player gets upsets and tosses his helmet, another USC. Fans the riled. A fight breaks out in the stands. The police are called en masse. When in twenty seconds you could have been on your way to dinner.

Does A gain an advantage?

If A has an insurmountable lead, fix the problem, end the game and go home.

If A needs time to complete a play. Allow the repair and start the clock on the ready. DO NOT allow any coaching to take place during the time out as it gives A an advantage.

If A just wants to run up the score or to narrow the margin. Fix the problem. Start the clock and go home.

Officiating requires knowledge of the rules and good common sense.

A is leading by, lets say, 7.

OK. Then stop the clock and set it at 25 seconds forcing A to snap the ball. Otherwise, A's actions give A an advantage.

I agree with the idea that the score should not matter. If it was intentional you have several options...equipment, possibly delay of game (thus the clock would NOT start until the snap).

but simply flagging for the equipment on an accidental equipment 'failure' doesn't make the clock dead.

or we could simply let them run the play ( we don't have to give them a TO for equipment, necessarily) and perhap s they get a DOG penalty.

but putting time back on the clock when not necessitated would not be good practice.

Interesting points.

The score does make a difference because if A denies B by forcing the play clock to the point where a snap is not required A gains an advantage. More than likely A will take a knee but anything could happen on a snap.

If the game is a 50 point blow out one less snap will not make a difference, just roll the clock and go home.

It sets a bad precedent to flag a player for equipment failure, intentional or not.

OK, putting time back on the clock is questionable but in order to make A snap the ball that is a less than elegant solution without giving a penalty.

Then remember rule 9-9 gives the referee discretionary power which is what would be used here. Maybe you just announce there will be one more snap and do it.

Rule 9.9 wouldn't cover this but 1.1.6 definitely does. I would only reserve this if the strap is faulty. I've had something close to this were I have chopped in the RFP and a kid said "ref my chin strap is unbuckled." My response was "you got time, buckle it!"

If it is faulty and A has no TO's remaining then that player must be replaced for at least a down.

I think the only thing you can really do is put the time back on the clock and make the game situation the exact same thing before the problem occurred. I agree that's less than elegant but all options are unfortunately that way. Here are some options. We chose #2 in the past and neither team complained. We mitigated the risk of problems by telling the offense that's what we were doing and exactly how many seconds they had to snap the ball. If it was at 2 or 1 second, then perhaps #3 is your only solution, albeit a best of a bad bunch.

1) Start clock on snap

2) Start clock on RFP but don't give a full 25-second to snap the ball

3) Put time back on the clock and start on RFP

Lot's of good answers. In the first case I would handle it as I would had it happened anytime during the game. In the second case Team A and I have a problem and only I have the yellow flag.

I am interested in why 9.9 would not work. To be precise 9.9.3 for making a travesty of the game. Unbuckling a chin strap in order to maniuplate the clock is an unfair act.

Forget the rules for a minute. What you want to do is have A snap the ball. It is simple since the clock is within 25 seconds. Shut it off and announce this is the last play of the game as A has committed an act which makes the travesty of the game. In order to not have A take an unfair advantage there will be one more play. If you want to make the act an unsportsmanlike penalty you can do so but make A, at least, snap the ball.

Also, in regard to the score. If B has no chance of changing the outcome of the game, I would not ready the ball until 24 seconds remain.

I don't think that's enough. Say it's 4th (I think that was the original sitch). 40 seconds left, the 25 starts counting down. A will have to run a play, and assuming they don't get a 1st, B will get the ball with just under 15 seconds.

If you do as you say, all you're doing is forcing A to snap the ball. You're depriving B of the ball. That's not enough. I think the easiest solution is to start on the snap instead of the ready after the stoppage for equipment, but I admit that from what I've learned regarding the FED rules, the only rule you can use to support this is the God rule.