Injured Player; Officials Timeout

[verticalStripes]

Fed Rules:

During an officials timeout for an injured player. can either team substitute, and could the players move near the sidelines to recieve instructions from the coaches. I see different interpretations on this rule.

[BktBallRef]

Yes and yes. Coaches cannot go onto the field and coach.

[simpson]

I don't have my rulebook in front of me, but here's how we do it.

When the trainers first come out, we keep the kids in the huddle w/out coaches. If it's hot out, we'll send the trainers w/ water. If it is a serious injury, we send the players to the sidelines. If you are going to not allow coaches to come out and talk to the coach, you can't let the trainers coach their kids on the field either.

Between plays, a player can always go near his sideline to talk to a coach in the coaching box. Therefore, I suppose all players can go near their sideline to talk to a coach as long as the coach stays in the box. Use a little common sense, if it's going to be awhile, send the kids to the sideline.

There are no prohibitions on substitutions during injury timeouts.

[Smiley]

An officials' time-out for an injured player is simply another dead ball period between downs, just a little longer. Anything a team may do during a dead ball period between downs they may do during an injury time-out, so long as they do not delay the game. This includes going near the sideline, so long as the coach stays off the field of play.

[grantsrc]

Not sure how you would get different intrepretations. It is stated in the rule books, but you have to do a little digging.

Players can move towards the sidelines but coaches cannot come onto the field.

9-8-2: ...During a time-out for injury, the coach and/or such attendants as may be deemed necessary by the referee may, with permission, enter to attend the injured player(s). In no other case, except as in 2-6, shall any non-player other than an entering substitute enter without the referee’s permission.

3-5-7-e: An official’s time-out occurs during a dead ball without a time-out being charged to either team: For a player who appears to be injured.

3-5-8: An authorized conference may be held during a charged time-out or an official’s time out (7h, 7l and 7m only). Only one type of conference may be used by a team during any one time-out.

Basically this means that any type of authorized conference that occurs during an injury is a foul. But it says nothing in the rule book that limits players to the middle of the field.

One thing to keep in mind, if a player leaves the field of player during an injury timeout, he cannot come back on the field. That's why it's important to keep the players on the field.

[verticalStripes]

Thanks for all your responses. I posted this thread to generate discussion.

I see a lot of officials that instruct the players to take a knee when a player is injured. Obviously, coaches are not allowed on the field to coach the players. I don't think is it correct to tell the players to take a knee since they are allowed to to go near the sidelines.

Also, I see officials tell their players to stay inside the "numbers" on the field. I think the confusion is that officials are stopping an authorized conference, and they should. However, players should free to go near the sidelines between plays.

[mcrowder]

Originally Posted by verticalStripes

Thanks for all your responses. I posted this thread to generate discussion.

I see a lot of officials that instruct the players to take a knee when a player is injured. Obviously, coaches are not allowed on the field to coach the players. I don't think is it correct to tell the players to take a knee since they are allowed to to go near the sidelines.

Also, I see officials tell their players to stay inside the "numbers" on the field. I think the confusion is that officials are stopping an authorized conference, and they should. However, players should free to go near the sidelines between plays.

It's not our job to tell them to take a knee, or to put their hands on their heads, or to pat their bellies. Or where to stand, for that matter. Not sure why an official would do this.

We do herd them away from the injured player - but we should not do anything else regarding where or how they stand or sit.

[GBFBUmp]

Originally Posted by mcrowder

We do herd them away from the injured player - but we should not do anything else regarding where or how they stand or sit.

We do move both teams away from the injured player too. We then instruct the trainers to bring in water if they like. Other than that the players are on a normal Official's timeout.

If it looks like it will be an extended timeout we do send the players to their respective sidelines.

Had a varsity game injury earlier this season that took 20 minutes for a player that had his leg broken. Then he had another 45 minute ride in an ambulance to a Green Bay hospital. Poor kid. Parents weren't at the game either, I suspect it was pretty scary for the kid.