How Difficult is it to Call a Technical Foul on a Coach?

Deciding to call a technical foul on a coach who questions your ruling is not easy. First and foremost, we must understand and remember that a coach by rule is never responsible for the actions of a player (the five players participating in a game and during time-out) unless it is during pre-game or an intermission between quarters. However, if you read the rulebook closely, you may agree with me that we as officials do not enforce the rules as strickly as we probably should.

The rule book places great responsibility on our coaches. Our coaches are not perfect, nor do we expect them to be. Spending so much time working tirelessly with athletes creates an intense desire to succeed and builds strong emotional relationships. Coaches understand that they are expected to control their emotional responses to officials’ decisions throughout a contest.

I believe that coaches, especially those that follow the rules, become frustrated when the opponent’s coach is not held responsible for her/his behavior. A screaming coach’s behavior even if it is not disputing an official’s call can be interpreted as unsporting behavior. The coach that travels beyond the confines of his coaching box gets an unfair advantage by being out of her/his box.

Given all of this, I wish to add another layer of expectations put upon coaches in the NF Coaches Code of Ethics. Since this Code of Ethics is in the rulebook that we are expected to enforce, I feel that it is fair that we expect the same.

Excerpt from the National Federation of High School Coaches Association’s Coaches Code of Ethics:

“The function of a coach is to educate students through participation in interscholastic competition.”

“The coach shall be aware that he or she has a tremendous influence, . . . thus, shall never place the value of winning above the value of instilling the highest ideals of character.”

“The coach shall master the contest rules and shall teach them to his or her team members. The coach shall not seek an advantage by circumvention of the spirit or letter of the rules.”

“The coach shall respect and support contest officials. The coach shall not indulge in conduct which would incite players or spectators against the officials.”

In summary, if we as officials punish improper behavior, coaches will improve their behavior. If we cannot be consistent as a group, then coaches will never learn how to behave as demanded by the rules. Many officials tell me that on more than one occasion, they should have called a technical foul. I believe that most of the time these officials are correct. Call the technical foul. It is not easy but you will be doing the right thing, and just as important, when an official the next night calls a technical for a same or similar infraction, coaches will no longer act so surprised and claim that officials are out to get them.

Once again, the message is clear! Enforce the rulebook! That is our job. Coaches’ actions do not involve contact which should make this decision easier for all of us. The punishment is stiff, but then look at it this way–the punishment at most is 5 points. For those of you that might hesitate to call a technical because it is too great a punishment for the coach to inflict upon his team, remember most of the time it only amounts to 1-3 points. Actually, in some sports, points are deducted for misbehavior.