Confessions of an American Football Referee - Can I Inspect Your Balls

[A Ref]

This week I worked a high school, open division, regional semi-final playoff game. To be honest, it wasn't much of a game. The visitors dominated at the game was over by half-time.

There was huge collision where two players ended their seasons. One of the two players was strapped to a stretcher and sent to the hospital. I have learned from someone who knows the family that the young man is ok.

Special Balls

Following the first score by the visitors, I place the ball on the 3 yard line for the Try. The ball boy brings me a football and says this is the 'kicking ball'. I inform him the ball cannot be changed and send him back to the sideline. The Try is attempted and blocked by the defenders.

Was I right in not allowing the 'kicking ball' to be used? Sort of.

This is an interesting exercise of understanding the English language and the understanding of the rule. However; in this case there is no 'foul' if the rule is broken. Rule 1-3-2 says "Each team shall provide at least one legal game ball to the referee at the time the game officials assume authority for the contest. Only legal game balls approved by the referee may be used during the contest..." (there is a part 2 to this rule)

Let's stop here. I would bet if you ask 100 high school officials how many footballs can be used by a team during a high school game, 99 of them would tell you they can only use one ball during the game. I don't know where misconception comes from, but most officials I know believe this. Let's go on.

Rule 1-3-3 says "The referee shall decide whether the ball meets specifications. If the field is wet, the referee may order the ball changed between downs." So, if you wanted to be picky, if the team did not provide more than one ball for the referee to inspect, and the snapper, or in our case the ball boy, requests a new ball to be used, the Referee could deny the requests. No right minded Referee would do this during a rainy game, but there is a point here I hope you can see.

And to make another point, the book says REFEREE, not UMPIRE. Good luck getting the White Hat to deal with this. Since I touch the ball every play this is placed, and I think rightly so, on my shoulders.

Anyway, let's get back to the 'part 2' I refereed to previously. Part 2 of Rule 1-31 says "... Each team may use any referee approved ball of its choice to free kick or start a new series of downs. If a touchdown occurs following a change of possession and the scoring team did not put the ball in play, ANY referee-approved ball may be used for the try."

So, if you read carefully, the team can have a 'kicking ball' -- any approved ball may be used for free kicks. Also, ANY approved ball can be used following, for example sake, an interception which is run back for a score. The scoring team can use the same "kicking ball" they use for kickoffs on this particular Try.

But, and this is where you must be a good reader, is where things get interesting -- each team may use any referee approved ball of its choice to... start a new series..." So, the question becomes, is the Try following the touchdown, a new series, or a continuation of the same series? It is.

You will not find anything in the book that says you must use the same ball, or even better, cannot change the ball during a series of downs. That would be simply too easy to understand. Instead, we get the mumbo-jumbo in rules 1-3-2 and 1-3-3.

And compounding the issue with playoff games is teams are required to only use Rawlings footballs during the game.

So, I suppose you could penalize the head coach for unsportsmanlike conduct for allowing an non-referee ball to be brought into the game, but I would never do that. Just kick the ball out an get the 'right' one. You could instead call a delay of game foul, but again, just kick the ball out. These would be ticky-tack fouls for sure.

Did either team offer myself or the referee more than one ball to inspect? No.

Wrap-up

Our area has two teams with the high seed position going to the finals. Last year I was fortunate to work one of the final games, and ironically, one of these two teams is the again in the finals. I don't know if this excludes me from consideration or not. I'll let you know.