Time Out Question...
 

Had a fellow official ask me Tuesday night...

If a team calls a time out and they have none left, what do you do as a line official?

I assume if it is granted and discovered none left - delay of game...

What if you know they have none and they request one from the sideline?

1. If they have none, tell them they have none and don't signal for one.

2. If you mistakenly stop the clock, there is no foul. Don't penalize for your stupidiy. This isn't basketball.

3. Again, just tell them they have none.

As a linesman, I don't grant a team a timeout when they don't have any remaining. If the coach becomes a howler monkey about it, he's going to have one of five things happen: 1) Flag for restricted area violation; 2) Flag for delay of the game if his offense doesn't get the ball off in time; 3) If on defense, his boys will probably get their a**es run over and give up a big play; 4) If on offense, his boys will probably get their a**es run over and have a huge loss; 5) Flag for USC if his howler monkey act goes too far. In other words, I just don't don't grant the timeout request, and anything that happens will be a hell of a lesson for the coach to learn.

In NFHS, any subsequent timeout requests are denied (3-5-5).

Had this happen in a MS game yesterday. I was not the wing official.

Coach: I want a time out.

Wing: You have none left, coach.

Coach: What?!? The scoreboard says I have 3!

Wing: [shrug]

Fortunately, the wing was not a wiseacre. Numerous replies to that particular slice of idiocy occurred to me.