View Full Version : Corrected error - did I do right?
lehighvalleylax
03-31-2008, 10:50 PM
Was in a 2 man HS varsity game as Ref. With 1 sec to go in 1st half, team A goes man up due to team B slash. I am on far side and before I am about to start the play at top center, I hear the whole A team yelling for the player to shoot the ball right away. On the whistle, he shoots, I blow my whistle and announce "No possession, we will have a face off to start the second half". As the players go to huddles, the Team A head coach asks me why I said that because my other ref told him it didn't matter. I inform him that if he had possession, he would start the next period with the ball. It appears that my fellow official spoke with him while I was reporting the penalty, and told him that it only applies between the 1st and 2nd quarters and between the 3rd and 4th quarters.
Since I felt this was correctable, I informed both coaches I would give possession to team A instead of bringing both teams out to replay 1 sec.( it was rainy and a late day start w/o lights). Team B gave me some grief but finally gave in, they were winning anyway.
Did I do right? Have you ever seen anything similar?
Woodenstick
04-01-2008, 07:01 AM
My personal view is that this would definitely be the correct action below the varsity level. While technically not the correct call, referees should go out of their way not to mislead teams who might not know better. Similar to a situation where the referee points the wrong way, and screws up substitutions, we have been instructed to allow a horn even if otherwise not justified, to ensure that one team does not gain an advantage from the referee error. In short, referees should try to do as little damage as possible!
At the varsity level, I am a little hesitant because I would think that everyone should know this rule, but apparently this is not the case. So I think you did right.
LaxRef
04-01-2008, 07:53 AM
The thing I'd want to know here is if the coach asked your partner or if your partner volunteered it. If he volunteered it, that's coaching (bad umpire! no beer!). If the coach asked, then it's just a rules error: still bad, but not as bad as coaching.
Technically, no "correctable error" has been made here since you did the correct thing in not awarding possession. The error was in information given to the coach. So, I agree that, from a game management perspective, correcting it was good, it was probably not the correct thing by Rule 7-13.
I like WS's comment that he'd change the call in sub-V but not V.
BTW, I don't see any way to get out of this without your partner looking bad.
BlueJaysLaxFan
04-01-2008, 09:02 AM
In this case, I would consult with my partner to find out if he/she indeed told the coach what he told me, and if so I would first discuss it with him/her and clarify this rule. Then, we can both approach the coaches and let them know that the correct call was made, and the possession rule applies at the end of the 2nd quarter as well. This way, the coaches have a correct understanding of the possession rule, my partner will make a correct call in the future, and there are no hard feelings.
If you had told a coach that he had one TO remaining, but he really had none remaining, and then he calls a TO and your partner comes flying over and says he has none left...you would still give him a TO?
Like the original post, the coach has made a decision based on info (later proven incorrect) you gave him.
I think you have to eat this one and enforce the rule.
hymie
04-01-2008, 12:22 PM
If you had told a coach that he had one TO remaining, but he really had none remaining, and then he calls a TO and your partner comes flying over and says he has none left...you would still give him a TO?
No TO, but no penalty either. Just a restart.
Like the original post, the coach has made a decision based on info (later proven incorrect) you gave him.
I think you have to eat this one and enforce the rule.
The fact that neither the coach nor the (other) ref knows the rule should not take away from the fact that the rule exists.
laxfan25
04-01-2008, 02:13 PM
Accoring to one of the players I had in an MCLA college game the other night, in their previous game the ref had made the same statement - that penalties only carry over between the 1st and 2nd / 3rd and 4th quarters - not halftime! I really hope he was wrong, but my gut feeling is that he wasn't incorrect in his recollection. Amazing.