Gag Rule

[JJ4ISU]

I see McDermott could be reprimanded by the Big 12 for just telling reporters, "We communicated with the officials that our intention was not to foul, so to give it a good look."

Maybe the conference should spend more time reviewing the work officials do on the court, and not so much on comments by coaches about their work.

Anyway, based on what McDermott said, it would be an absolute joke if they even reprimanded him!

 

[ColoradoClone]

This is BS. If they're going to take action for this, they're going to have to eliminate post game press conferences. You can't talk about a game without at least indirectly talking about officiating. It's a part of basketball.

 

[CYdTracked]

What's wrong with telling them this? It's like tipping your hand in a poker game. If there was no foul committed then there was no foul. It doesn't matter if you tell them if you are or aren't going to foul, they have to call it when they see it.

 

[EggMcClone]

I think the problem is telling the reporters he did it. The new rule in the Big 12 says coaches or players can't say anything about the officiating. They can't say it sucked and they can't say it was the best they've ever seen. I don't even think they can say they saw on official on the court...

 

[CYdTracked]

It's definately a fine line and will be a tough call to make I think. He didn't say anything good or bad about the actual officiating. He just revealed strategy I think. What if he said he asked the ref during the game how his wife and kids were? That's still speaking to an official but it had nothing to do with commenting on his performance just like saying he told them they weren't planning to foul was not commenting in a negative or positive manner of their performance. If he had said something like "we told them we weren't going to foul but they called us for a foul anyways" I could see that as violating this new policy.

 

[EggMcClone]

I agree, it's a really dumb rule.

 

[clones_jer]

This is not new. Coaches at all levels of play do this from time to time. Officials do not like "hard" fouls at the end of the game, because of the danger of injury to the players involved and because it forces the intentional foul call. Fouling at the end of a game is an exeptible strategy and I'll be the first to admit that I sometimes assume the players want the foul. Its a fine line for them to run - fouling, but not getting an intentional.

I think its silly that they are entertaining thoughts of a fine. I guess it could be constured as influencing an officials call - but I see it as coach/official communication which isn't a bad thing.

 

[ColoradoClone]

They're not looking into wether or not he influenced an officials call. What he said to them is not in question at all. What's in question is that he formed a sentence with the word "Official" or "Ref" in it.

Pretty soon the big XII will be having a big bon fire and throwing all articles written in the past that reference officiating.

 

[JJ4ISU]

Maybe the Big 12 should reprimand reporters for asking about officials and not let them into any news conference involving a Big 12 coach!

 

[loboclone]

I wonder what Gary Pinkle will do next season? His comments a few months ago would probably invoke a Senate hearing............

 

[dbronco7sc]

I agree with clones_jer that the comment to the ref was not in question, it's just to let the ref's know we aren't trying to foul so don't call us for one right away to protect for a hard foul thinking that's what we want.

The comment to reporters mentioning the refs is in question because of this:

Click Link about new rule