For what would you eject?
 

In baseball, players and coaches are ejected for everything from fighting to arguing balls and strikes. In football (to my knowledge) coaches can't get ejected for simply arguing the spot of the ball, for example.

What would you like to see added as a reason to dump a coach or player that isn't currently in the rules?

Baseball coaches are allowed to come onto the field and argue.

Football coaches aren't. :)

Coaches can be ejected for a good many reasons most of which are the same as in other sports. In football coaches can also get ejected for something they didn't do or failed to do.

The reason you don't see it very often is as BktBallRef said they are not allowed to come on the field. If the football field was the same size as a basketball court you would see more coaches ejected. The fact that they are some distance away has saved many a coach.

Read rule 9-8 and as with any rule be sure and read the PENALTY:

The rules do not need changing on this issue. The rules are fine the way they are.

Peace

Canadian Aspect
 

CANADIAN ASPECT:

I agree with Rut:

Absolutely. We have enough with rules, formations, legal/illegal contact and blocking, etc. why worry about ejecting anybody.

It's not the rules but our interpretation of the situation.

I ejected my first coach ever last year. I've been doing basketball since 73 and football since 75.

I was R in a JV football game. Punt goes between the hands of the receiver but doesn't touch him. A K player falls on the ball and thinks his team has the ball. The BJ rules correctly that R gets the ball. The K coach goes nuts and the BJ has to tell the coach, "That's enough." The coach says, "Come over here and say that!" FLAG - USC signal - Ejection signal. You can't always put it in writing what the situation will be when you have to eject, but I knew it as soon as it happened that it warranted an ejection.

I called the state, the head coach and principal of the school the next day. First time in over 30 years. Not pretty but it had to be done. Head coach was great about it. He wanted to make sure that the story he got was correct and it was. The other coach on the sideline told him accurately exactly what happened. Ironically, the coach that was ejected was the head coach's brother. I think he learned a lesson and came back OK after his suspension.

Obviously, I have a long fuse. I hope I don't have to do it again, but with my experiences, I will know at the time when it has to be done.

You've got to consider the specifics of the sport and what would be likely to hold up the game. If a football coach walked onto the field to point to where he thinks the ball should be spotted, the way a baseball coach might point out where he thinks the ball landed foul, the possible delay to the administration of the game would be intolerable in football but tolerable in baseball. It's not being on the field per se that's a problem, because Mighty Mites can have 1 coach for each team on the field, it's interference with play. But in baseball, pitches are so frequent that anyone's arguing balls & strikes anywhere would slow the game to a crawl and not gain a thing, because they could never prove a thing by it, while there's a slight chance the coach or a player could correct an umpire's error of fact on other calls.

Robert

The rules in football are good and NFHS rules provide for proper penalties if a coach breaches the bounds of good sportsmanship.

I have to say however, that the sidelines are the coach's best friend. Keep him on the sideline and out of earshot--that saves coaches many USCs.

That reminds me of a game a few years ago. Visiting team was losing in the closing minutes, and their HC was in the ear of an official. The official didn't even turn around for a good while, but the HC must have said a magic word. The official calmly turned around, took the flag out of his pocket, and dropped it right at the coach's feet. He then turned back around and walked to the referee to give his call. The HC went ballistic and started to march after him but an assistant held him back.

To me, if a coach got a second USC like that, that would be enough for an ejection. In rare cases, like an above post, some things said warrant an automatic ejection. But otherwise, if they didn't learn after the first flag, it may be time for an early exit.

In Fed, a second USC requires a disqualification so he would be going one way or another. :)

The worst thing that I ever heard an official say was, "Ok, coach, one more word and I'm going to flag you."

I filled in as a white hat for a crew and a wing said it. The wing got an earful from me at halftime. I always, in football and basketball, give the "stop" sign and say, "Coach, that's enough." I like the visibility of the stop sign so that everyone, including other coaches, players and fans see that he has been warned. After the stop sign and my verbal warning, it is not hard to justify a flag upon hearing any more. Of course, the key is, WHEN do I reach the point of giving the warning? That comes from experience and having firm limits in your mind. I tell our crew that coaches want two things: (1) to vent; and (2) information. I like to keep those two in mind. I was a coach for many years so I understand #1 is what he needs to do and #2 is a reasonable expectation from him of what I need to do during the game.

Now, one might argue that what I have done with the stop sign and verbal warning is the same as the situation I mentioned above, but this is more professional and does not bait the coach.

Coaches have a lot on the line with every game at every level and you should give them some leeway. Baseball and softball guys have the ability to "walk" a coach back to the dugout during an argument and it is a beautiful thing. For us football guys we don't have such an effective method.

One thing I like to do is to let a coach vent as long as he keeps it clean. Nothing could be worst than to banter back and forth and keep the argument going, so, I tell them what I have to tell them and let them rant on. At some point they will either run out of steam or you just simply walk away.

I remember the story of Bill LeMonnier, a premier Big Ten referee, from the 2006 Michigan-Ohio State game. Following his call on a Michigan player for helmet-to-helmet hit on OSU QB Troy Smith, Michigan coach Lloyd Carr was verbalizing to his wingman. So, LeMonnier decided he should go over and help out his wingman. When he asked Lloyd Carr what the problem was, Carr questioned whether LeMonnier's mother and father were married when he was born.

Now you have to think that was worth a flag. But Carr was not flagged.

On Monday following the game, LeMonnier received a call from Carr apologizing for his outburst (the permission to call was cleared with the Big Ten supervisor).

Remember this was a huge game and what would have been gained by the flag. Carr was obviously upset and I am sure later when he saw the film he noticed it was the right call at a crucial point in the game. For LeMonnier to have flagged Carr would have been a 15-yard penalty which metaphorically would have been the gas on the fire. Instead, LeMonnier gave Carr the proverbial "OK, Coach" and continued the game.

This is only detrimental if you don't really intend to flag the player/coach/whoever on the next word they say.

Ed, there's nothing prevent a Referee, or any other official, from walking a coach back to his sideline, if we choose to do so. The problem arises when a coach goes "too far", or far enough, too often.

The rules give us tremendous leeway in exercising control over the behavior of players as well as non-players. Of course great responsibility comes with great authority, so we are accountable for how we exercise the authority the rules give us.

There is no, "only way" to deal with situations that may be approaching that, "line of no return", as every situation, although perhaps similar in nature to others, is unique to the circumstances creating it. For some humor works, others a patient ear, calm detailed explanation or a stern response or even a warning. We each get to decide where that line is drawn, with the clear understanding there will be consequences on both sides of it.

Of course it's best to be able to defuse any situation before it gets too far, but if it should, the rules provide ample tools to effectively eliminate any further problems.