Cards aplenty
 

Last two weeks I've given two yellows and my partner has given two yellows in varsity matches.

Gave a yellow tonight that I'd like some input on-between sets as teams are changing sides but within earshot of me visiting coach comments about a net call I made as the R2 "that's BS" to one of her assistants. I verbally warn the coach for language and as I'm finishing the verbal "F word" comes out of her mouth.I stepped out and asked for a yellow,explaining to my partner profanity was the reason for the card.

Mind you this all happened within about a 20 second window.
Does the time frame make this a red for everyone?
Should I have skipped the verbal and gone straight to yellow or red or DQ?

I try to give the coaches a chance to be model citizens and clean up but 2 profane comments within about 20 seconds crosses the line.Last coach I verbally warned for profanity cleaned it up and never was a problem for the remainder of the afternoon.

Yellow seems appropriate.

I would've assessed a red.

A yellow should have been for the "that's BS" comment made in regards to you doing your job. The "F-word" should have been a red. Swearing, especially at you, or about you doing your job should be an automatic red. Why waste your time going to the coach to say, "Mind your language"? The card does that, and does it better. Conduct from coaches is expected to be appropriate. When they resort to inappropriate language, it needs to be handled with sanctions, imo.

I was on the stand for a collegiate match, and it was 23-23 in set 3. Team A needed this set to go to 4, otherwise, they would've been swept. Coach looked at me for a net call I made that my R2 did not, and mouthed, "That's BS" (not the actual word), so I sanctioned him with a yellow.

Had he said the complete word, it would have been a red.

Go onto WatchESPN.com and find the replay of North Carolina at Georgia Tech from 10/26.

Mid-3rd set (I think the score was 11-10), North Carolina's coach gets a Yellow Card, then a Red Card, then DQed. At no point did it seem like he said one of the magic words to warrant getting tossed, he just never slowed down his arguing after the first two cards.

It's worth noting that UNC was heavily favored but down 0-2 and down 10-11 in the 3rd. The Red Card made it 10-12. It looks like the officiating crew failed to award a point to Georgia Tech for the DQ (so it should have been 10-13). UNC responded, came back to win the set and the match. I don't know if UNC's coach decided to get tossed on purpose to "pump his team up" but if he did, it worked.

I agree with Antonio. Red from me.

By rule, a yellow IS a warning.

In our association rule of thumb is f-bomb=DQ.

My take,

If this is only loud enough for the coach and I to hear, I'm pulling yellow. If it is loud enough to be heard by other's, then it is a red card. If it is screamed so loud the entire gym can hear, then it's red and yellow and a seat on the bus.


The only time I've heard a coach drop and F-bomb during a match was two seasons ago. Prior to the final set of a match at a Saturday tourney. After spending the first two sets correcting the coaches positions from what he told them in the huddle, I wasn't in the mood for a third time.

Third set, he tells the players where to go, and they are wrong. He is standing next to the sideline checking the lineup and moving his players to the proper positions, and I hear "what the f-" It was just loud enough for me to hear it, so I only pulled yellow. After the match my partner asks why I gave him the yellow. I explain and he says I should have pulled red on him.

I personally like my manner best. I certainly won't DQ for a f-bomb unless it is so loud as to be heard gym wide.

A referee friend of mine told me that he had a coach shout "that F-ing BS" (the coach didn't abbreviate) during the COIN FLIP...

wait for it...


at an elementary school VB match. :eek:

Apparently, the coach was furious that the ref didn't flip the coin over after it landed in his hand.

I don't recall what the ref did about the coach.

What match? The one the coach wouldn't be in? At an elementary match if you pull that crap I would send you out of the gym. As the age gets older, more is allowed, but I don't allow any swearing at the elementary or middle school level, especially like that.

If I recall correctly, the coach was hoisted during the pre-match conference.

I agree that the younger the players, the more strict the language enforcement. That said, I am likely more strict about unsporting behavior than most other officials - at all levels.

At minimum, that would have been a red card from me in a high school match.