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Football Officiating => General Discussion => Topic started by: GAHSUMPIRE on October 23, 2011, 04:13:51 PM
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In the game previous to the one I mentioned earlier, I was running the clock for an 8 yr old game.
The "stadium" in which it was played was rather small, and the clock was located in a wooden riser about 10 feet from the stands. Immediately to my left was a man with a newspaper and an blue tooth earbud on.
Since we were so close, I could hear his conversations. He would be reciting the names of plays that looked awfully close to what was then run on the field. This got my curiousity up so I glanced over at him, and each time he spoke, he ducked down behind the newspaper to talk.(RED FLAG). The team for whom this person was "rooting", was consistently taking a lot of time to get their plays called, and the crew had already penalized them several times for delay of game. (I know, it's an 8 yr old game, so you should be more mindful of when you blow the RFP, but it was bordering on the ridiculous).
At halftime, I went down to the rest of the crew and mentioned this, they said that one of the other coaches also had an ear bud on. It turns out the guy in the stands was the head coach of the team who had been suspended for that game. He was talking to one of his assistants on the sidelines who also had a blue tooth device on, and would then call the play ordered by the coach in the stands.
We notified game management who investigated and removed the coach from the stadium. Crew chief for the game decided that was enough so they didn't penalize, but it did go in the game report, and the association is facing what is likely to be a $1000 fine from the league (They were already fined $500 for the coach's earlier ejection).
For all their trouble, they still lost the game by 14 points.
I love youth football.
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Exactly why I don't do youth football. Way too many egos.
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A friend had a very similar event in high school baseball. Suspended coach, following a previous ejection, is allowed to stay with team right up to game time, including hitting infield. He then leaves and goes and sits in the team bus. Noticed a player with a cell phone in his ear in the corner of the dugout signaling to the 3rd base coach, who then relayed signs to batter. Between innings, my friend went into the dugout, got the cell phone, dialed the "last call", stepped out of the dugout and looked toward the team bus, where the coach was sitting. No answer, but the player never used the cell phone again for the rest of the game.