Here's the situation: I was the down ref in a varsity boy's high school game. I blew my whistle when I saw a player's foot completely cross the center line. Being fairly new, I didn't realize that because his foot was out of bounds when he stepped over, that it was legal. The team I made the call against was screaming, so I went to my partner and explained what I saw, and he told me that it was legal. He then indicated a side out, giving that team the ball. Someone said it should've been a replay because it was an inadvertant whistle and play had stopped before a dead ball. Which is correct? It may have made a difference in the game because directly after this the other's team's coach earned himself a red card, (he was screaming that I let the other team influence my decision to change the call) and since we had just given the first team the side out, they then got a point.

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Situation seems like a replay becuase of an inadvertant whistle. This stuff happens all the time. Its not a bad thing because just as long as you do not enforce something illegal or let something go even after you find out that it was a violation.

As for the red card that the other coach EARNED because of his conduct, thats all on him. Dont feel like you encouraged a situation because of your call. Coaches know (just as officials do) that mistakes happen. Calls are missed sometimes, but the bottom line is that a code of conduct is always known from the start by the players, coaches and refs. For him to act out of line with you or the other ref, regardless of what happened, is all on that coach.

Another thing to consider is, where was the ball and the play? If there was no chance that your whistle would have influenced the play, then your R1 was right not to change the outcome.

Technically, no. If a fault has not occurred prior to the whistle, then the ball becomes dead the instant the whistle sounds and anything which happens thereafter is irrelevant.

Even if the ball is gonna clearly end up in the bleachers, so long as it hasn't yet broken the plane of the unplayable area, the whistle makes the ball dead and no fault occurs. ['Course, if it has broken the plane before the whistle, THAT makes the ball dead and it's the whistle which becomes irrelevant.]

Generally speaking, it's dangerous to start trying to make predictions about what might have happened had there not been an inadvertant whistle. Call a replay and if the coach gripes, apologize for the whistle and explain, "those are the rules". The other approach can get you into much more trouble and likely get you a protest.

-Homer-