Fans Subject to Rules?

[TXMike]

Are fans subject to rules?  https://athlonsports.com/college-football/college-football-coach-justin-wilcox-cal-refs-mic-make-desperate-plea-fans?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0D_PwPWdddsuGGDidc1-c9tnCxJwUGj2D3FMqXTKydn-GPp3A4GUoXjXY_aem_XTo-8q8d86ObkGKb4EmNJA

[dammitbobby]

There's precedent (apparently) for that, although it's not clear to me what 2001 rule change they are talking about:

https://www.lubbockonline.com/story/news/2023/02/19/why-do-texas-tech-fans-toss-tortillas-during-games/69915077007/

'In more than one event, officials have had to halt a game because an abundance of tortilla remnants posed a threat to athletes — and in most cases, Tech received a penalty after the NCAA established a "tortilla penalty" rule in 2001.'

[dammitbobby]

In 2001, this budding unwritten practice was shut down by form of a "tortilla penalty" imposed on the Red Raiders if any tortillas made it to the field. ... The penalty was reduced from 15 yards to 5 yards in 2002, but if the Red Raider fans continued to throw tortillas on the field they would get another 15-yard penalty. Today, tortillas are still being thrown at Texas Tech football games, the rare basketball game, for graduation pictures, and for weddings.

from https://sports.yahoo.com/tortilla-national-championship-game-texas-tech-tradition-022021714.html

[JasonTX]

Suppose a person posed as a fan from that team and decided to throw tortillas in an effort to get them penalized?   

[ElvisLives]

Suppose a person posed as a fan from that team and decided to throw tortillas in an effort to get them penalized?

What Longhorn would do that? 😳

[MAFBRef]

From this past weekend:

https://x.com/RedditCFB/status/1835181385385972185

[ncwingman]

From this past weekend:

https://x.com/RedditCFB/status/1835181385385972185

Uh, yes? That was the incident that was linked in the original post.

In any case, an individual fan is not subject to the rules. One person streaking across the field doesn't result in a penalty for either team. However, game day administration is subject to the rules, and one of their jobs is ensuring the crowd doesn't disrupt the game. If there's evidence that they are failing in their duties to control the crowd and allowing the crowd to cause a disruption, then the home team can be penalized for that.

If there's some call the home crowd disagrees with and they start chucking debris on the field, it's not an automatic penalty, but if the security and such can't contain the delay in a timely manner, that's when flags can come out.

[MAFBRef]

My bad. Link in original wouldn’t open for me. Mea Culpa.

[Grant - AR]

There's precedent (apparently) for that, although it's not clear to me what 2001 rule change they are talking about:

https://www.lubbockonline.com/story/news/2023/02/19/why-do-texas-tech-fans-toss-tortillas-during-games/69915077007/

'In more than one event, officials have had to halt a game because an abundance of tortilla remnants posed a threat to athletes — and in most cases, Tech received a penalty after the NCAA established a "tortilla penalty" rule in 2001.'

In 2001, this budding unwritten practice was shut down by form of a "tortilla penalty" imposed on the Red Raiders if any tortillas made it to the field. ... The penalty was reduced from 15 yards to 5 yards in 2002, but if the Red Raider fans continued to throw tortillas on the field they would get another 15-yard penalty. Today, tortillas are still being thrown at Texas Tech football games, the rare basketball game, for graduation pictures, and for weddings.

from https://sports.yahoo.com/tortilla-national-championship-game-texas-tech-tradition-022021714.html

I don't know about the NCAA establishing a penalty, but I know the old SWC had a penalty for a tortilla hitting the field in the late 80s/early 90s.

[ElvisLives]

I don't know about the NCAA establishing a penalty, but I know the old SWC had a penalty for a tortilla hitting the field in the late 80s/early 90s.

You people are pickin' on the Red Raiders for no good reason. The only way a tortilla is gonna hurt anybody is if they try to eat it without washing it down with a beverage of choice. And those throwing 'em have plenty of beverage of choice to share.
I attended the Tech game last Saturday (the first time I had been in the stadium since I worked Nevada @ Tech in 2011). The tortillas disturbed no one, except the poor old guy that walked around picking them up. I'm thinking about applying for that job when I retire (from business) on January 1. Heck, I'm not that picky. I'd probably pick up some for dinner, since I'll be on a fixed income.

[Grant - AR]

You people are pickin' on the Red Raiders for no good reason. The only way a tortilla is gonna hurt anybody is if they try to eat it without washing it down with a beverage of choice. And those throwing 'em have plenty of beverage of choice to share.
I attended the Tech game last Saturday (the first time I had been in the stadium since I worked Nevada @ Tech in 2011). The tortillas disturbed no one, except the poor old guy that walked around picking them up. I'm thinking about applying for that job when I retire (from business) on January 1. Heck, I'm not that picky. I'd probably pick up some for dinner, since I'll be on a fixed income.

A story from an old SWC referee goes something like this:

Texas Tech had a tradition of throwing tortillas after their first score and a lot of them ended up on the field.  Tech had a bunch of people stationed around the field to run out and pick them all up very quickly.  The conference decided that they wanted it to stop so they instituted a 15-yard penalty if a tortilla landed on the field.  This R was at Texas Tech the next weekend so they were prepared.  Tech scored early and tortillas started flying...almost all from the student section.  The wind was blowing and keeping the tortillas from making it to the field.  The officials were moving to their positions for the next kickoff when the R heard a whistle.  He looked up and one of the other officials was running towards him.  They met and the other official pointed to a tortilla that landed on the field.  A flag was thrown and the R went over to Spike Dykes to tell him what was up.  Coach Dykes said, "D****, you guys are causing us problems here today.  We are just trying to have a football game with dinner on the grounds and y'all are penalizing us for it." 

[ElvisLives]

A story from an old SWC referee goes something like this:

Texas Tech had a tradition of throwing tortillas after their first score and a lot of them ended up on the field.  Tech had a bunch of people stationed around the field to run out and pick them all up very quickly.  The conference decided that they wanted it to stop so they instituted a 15-yard penalty if a tortilla landed on the field.  This R was at Texas Tech the next weekend so they were prepared.  Tech scored early and tortillas started flying...almost all from the student section.  The wind was blowing and keeping the tortillas from making it to the field.  The officials were moving to their positions for the next kickoff when the R heard a whistle.  He looked up and one of the other officials was running towards him.  They met and the other official pointed to a tortilla that landed on the field.  A flag was thrown and the R went over to Spike Dykes to tell him what was up.  Coach Dykes said, "D****, you guys are causing us problems here today.  We are just trying to have a football game with dinner on the grounds and y'all are penalizing us for it."

 

[bossman72]

This was on a Shaw training tape in 2021.  Beer cans were being chucked on the field and the visiting team was getting hit.  The crowd was flagged for 15 and Shaw said we can't do that.  It's up to game management.  If game management isn't doing anything, then you have to live with the rain of beer cans and paper and tortillas and just play the game.

[dammitbobby]

This was on a Shaw training tape in 2021.  Beer cans were being chucked on the field and the visiting team was getting hit.  The crowd was flagged for 15 and Shaw said we can't do that.  It's up to game management.  If game management isn't doing anything, then you have to live with the rain of beer cans and paper and tortillas and just play the game.

And what would the guidance be, in the event that the visiting team objected to being pelted with projectiles and just moved to the middle of the field to avoid being hit?

[JasonTX]

And what would the guidance be, in the event that the visiting team objected to being pelted with projectiles and just moved to the middle of the field to avoid being hit?

Use Rule 3-3-3 and suspend the game.

[Etref]

Use Rule 3-3-3 and suspend the game.

Winner, winner chicken dinner!