Sideline Warning/Sideline Interference

[Reffing Rev.]

It depends on the local as has been said.

When subs or other non-players are on the field during a down technically speaking you have IP. Now I ask myself a few questions first.

1. Did the coach/sub/trainer being on the field affect in anyway the play? If so IP 15 yards.

2. Did the coach/etc being on the field affect my covering the play and ruling on the play? If so IP 15 yards.

3. Did the coach/etc being on the field affect my covering the play but not my ability to rule on the play? If so SLW etc.

4. Did the coach/sub/etc. being on the field have no affect? If not then after the down I will address the HC directly to control his sideline and get em' back. I'll do this 2 times, then I'll bring out the SLW.

Now when team members are simply out of the team box and not on the field I'll use #4 above, also under the old rules a 4th coach or a player in the coaches box I used #4.

Now when I clear the sideline prior to the 1st kickoff I make sure everyone knows what line I'm expecting them to be behind, and our crew lets each HC know what we expect on the sidelines in our pregame.

When its between downs and a coach is out of the box/on the field I ask myself these questions:

1. Is he out of the box to coach his kids and gets back without any affect? If so, no penalty.

2. Is he out of the box to yell at an official? I might address an assistant coach to "get him off the field" But I never have a conversation with a coach who is on the field, unless it is during a timeout, and we're in front of his team box.

3. Is he out of the box and across the line of a USC? Then USC 15 yards. The first USC is a warning, 15 yards as opposed to ejection. In my opinion giving him one USC as an SLW abuses the intent of the rules and gives him 3 strikes instead of the 2 intended in the rules. If his conduct deserves a flag, it deserves a penalty.

Now do I think less of officials who use a SLW as a USC warning? not really, it works for them. I just don't like it myself. And I have been known from time to time, when an coach has a legitimate beef and he is on the field tip-toeing over the USC line I might give him the SLW for being on the field, but "I didn't hear" the USC. But as other guys have said, He knows I heard it.

Edited to add: Oh yeah, we always use the flag for an SLW. After all the action which led to the SLW was a foul which is what we use flags to mark. In this case the penalty for that foul is 0 yardage at the succeeding spot.