When Being Wrong is Right

Last year I officiated the best game of my football career. And I hardly remember anything except one play late in the second quarter. It changed my entire perspective on the role of the White Hat.

This was the last freshman game of the 2006 season and I was the White Hat for the cross-town rival game. Before the game, both coaches explained this game was for the league championship and was very important to both teams. I told the coach that was great and we all agreed we'd "let the boys play" tonight. All was well.

And it was well. This was a classic game. The air was cold, fog hanged in the air, the crowd was into the game, and the play was awesome. Both teams fought hard and the game went back and forth. I truly was a beautiful thing. Then it happened.

Somewhere around 3:00 minutes left in the 2nd quarter there was a sweep to the right sideline that went about 15 yards past the LOS. There was one hell of a late hit that the Line Judge correctly called. If a late hit in a rivalry game is not bad enough, the players ended-up on top of one the coaches. The twist is this coach happens to have no legs, no arms, and is in a wheelchair.

So I have big ass collision with a flag, in a big game, in front of God and Country, with a person in the coaches box who happens to be in a wheelchair. You can imagine what was going through my mind.

Thank goodness no one was hurt. After administrating the penalty, we resumed play. A play or two later, my Back Judge ran the ball back after a pass and asked 'are you going to let the coach stay in the box. Isn't this unsafe." Ahhhh, ya.

For the next series of plays I must admit I was not thinking about the game. I was thinking about that Bobby Martin kid from Dayton who had no legs and the officials in that game would not let him play. Those guys were scorned as villains. Ya, I want to go down that road.

But what I finally decided was to wait until half-time so I didn;t make a scene and I asked the coach if he minded remaining behind the coaches box rather then being in it. I said I felt with all the players surrounding him, he was not able to move out of the way quickly enough should another play occur near him. Thankfully, he understood and agreed.

I cannot find anything in the rules stating this coach could not be in the coaches box. All I found was rule 1-1-6. I know I did the 'right' thing because had there been a 2nd incident and a player was really hurt, I think I opened myself up to some serious safety negligence allegations. But the 'correct' thing is to do nothing because he has a right to be the box as a coach.

At the end of the game both coaches agreed this was one of the best games they had ever been apart of and thanked me for a well officiated game.

Don't ask me who won. That was the last thing on my mind.