Enforcement was spotty

eportedly, Texas’ enforcement of the rule was spotty before the incident. Following the incident, TASO issued a directive requiring officials to enforce the rule as written. Again, enforcement was spotty; coaches complained that too much time was being spent looking for them rather than officiating the game. It took the lawsuit, filed almost two years after the collision, to emphasize to the coaches that the sideline rule was important. Now, officials report that the coaches are routinely in the box.

Sideline enforcement has often been characterized as officials worrying about something they should not be concerned with. In my area — and probably in yours — when an official directs a coach to get back in the box, a familiar refrain goes like this: "Why don’t you watch the game?"

Stangely enough, that means the coaches do not realize they are part of the game.

Continued...