IP oops!

[Ia-Ref]

2nd and 10 at the 50.  6:00 minutes left in the quarter.
Pass to #23 is incomplete and #23 gets the wind knock out of him on the tackle.
After a couple minutes the game resumes with #23 on the sideline.
A get into formation on 3rd & 10.  #88 (the sub for #23) is confused as to where to line up so a timeout is taken.
The coach asks the LJ about bringing #23 back into the game since a timeout was taken and the LJ says that is OK.
On 3rd down with #23 in the game there is a pass down to the 20. B’s coaching staff notices that #23 was in on the play and notifies the L on his side who confers with the R before dropping a flag.
A’s coach goes crazy.
Many years ago, in a lower level game, I was the LJ and was asked the same question and responded the same way.  Nothing like the above happened as I recall because the player was not ready to go back in or no TO was taken.
But what if it did?

What reminded me of this several years later was the reentry of an injured player after a time out in a state finals game.  I will assume the wing was not consulted and I may have been the only one to see the player on the field after the next play.  No flag.

[dammitbobby]

I'd have a hard time dropping a flag for something that an official communicated to a coach, was allowable.  In that situation, I think you have to eat the flag and chalk it up as a learning moment for the crew.  There's no real way out of the situation without someone being HACKED, but if the official gave Coach A a greenlight, I don't think it's right to penalize him for acting on that approval.

[Ralph Damren]

IMHO, this would be a  that never should have flown  . If an official said to the coach that the re-entry was OK to the coach, then the official erred, not the coach. If the opposing coach challenged this, a response could be : "Coach, in error we told him it was OK, this was our error, not his. If we errored in responding to your question, we would have reacted the same." Things to remember about this rule :

(1) An injured player can return for the next play IF the injury occurred on the last play of the 2nd or 4th quarter;
(2) While a team can't 'buy' a TO to keep an injured player in, if a team calls a TO before an official spots an injury the player can remain in;
(3) A dead ball foul (false start, etc) doesn't count as a play;
(4) If a player shows signs of a possible concussion, he cannot re-enter until approved by a health-care-professional.

[KWH]

IMHO, this would be a  that never should have flown  . If an official said to the coach that the re-entry was OK to the coach, then the official erred, not the coach. If the opposing coach challenged this, a response could be : "Coach, in error we told him it was OK, this was our error, not his. If we errored in responding to your question, we would have reacted the same." Things to remember about this rule :

(1) An injured player can return for the next play IF the injury occurred on the last play of the 2nd or 4th quarter;
(2) While a team can't 'buy' a TO to keep an injured player in, if a team calls a TO before an official spots an injury the player can remain in;
(3) A dead ball foul (false start, etc) doesn't count as a play;
(4) If a player shows signs of a possible concussion, he cannot re-enter until approved by a health-care-professional.

I would just add to Ralph's number 4, Officials are not to go into Dick Tracy Mode, rather, if the player returns Officials should assume the player has been cleared by the HCP. If He/She shows signs again, send H/She out again.