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Rules/Instructions for PA Announcer Talking Pre- and Post-Snap


hhpatriot04

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In this thread (page 3), you'll see and hear several examples of the home team's PA talking right up and through the snap of the ball while the visiting team was on offense, including during a potential go-ahead FG attempt by the visiting team with 30 seconds left. The visiting team ended up winning in overtime.

Regardless, it is my understanding that the announcer should stop once the ball is marked ready for play. How would you handle this? I would think about the second time of it occurring would result in a chat with the HC, asking to relay a message to the press box for the announcer to stop.

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It needs to be addressed long before the late 4th QTR FG attempt. 

I’ve had to deal with this a few of times over the years. Usually a talk with the HC takes care of things. In a MS game one time I went so far as a trip to the press box at halftime. Followed by USC flags on the home team for every occurrence after. 

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37 minutes ago, hhpatriot04 said:

In this thread (page 3), you'll see and hear several examples of the home team's PA talking right up and through the snap of the ball while the visiting team was on offense, including during a potential go-ahead FG attempt by the visiting team with 30 seconds left. The visiting team ended up winning in overtime.

Regardless, it is my understanding that the announcer should stop once the ball is marked ready for play. How would you handle this? I would think about the second time of it occurring would result in a chat with the HC, asking to relay a message to the press box for the announcer to stop.

I have searched in vain for anything resembling guidance on this subject in the National Federation officiating publications. We have guidelines for the chain crew and the clock operators, but nothing for the public address system. So, we fall back on the “God Rule,” Rule 1-1-6, which gives the Referee the absolute discretion to rule on anything not specifically covered by the rules.

There are a few things the Referee will consider in deciding how to handle this. First and foremost is the question “are both teams being treated the same?” If the answer is that the PA guy is only doing this when the visitors are on offense, I’m going to put a stop to it immediately. And by “immediately,” I mean as soon as I notice it. 😉 If both teams are being treated equally, on the other hand, I’ll let it go (hoping to hear something entertaining) until somebody complains. Then I’ll shut it down. In either case, I’ll make a report to the IHSAA. They want to know when PA announcers go beyond basic information, and start with play by play or critical commentary.

The more common “no huddle” offenses do present a potential issue here. The noise should cease when the offense breaks the huddle, since that’s when signal calling can start. If the offense doesn’t huddle, it’s got to stop when the offense starts lining up in formation.

As to how you go about it, sometimes you have a direct radio connection to the clock operator, and you relay the message to “knock it off” that way. Other times you relay the message through the head coach on the sideline, who gets it to the coaches in the booth, who pass it along. If the guy persists, you stop the game and locate the representative of game management (often the AD), and that will definitely take care of it. Especially when you mention that the next step is to start assessing 15 yd. penalties against the home team. 

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5 hours ago, Bobref said:

I have searched in vain for anything resembling guidance on this subject in the National Federation officiating publications. We have guidelines for the chain crew and the clock operators, but nothing for the public address system. So, we fall back on the “God Rule,” Rule 1-1-6, which gives the Referee the absolute discretion to rule on anything not specifically covered by the rules.

There are a few things the Referee will consider in deciding how to handle this. First and foremost is the question “are both teams being treated the same?” If the answer is that the PA guy is only doing this when the visitors are on offense, I’m going to put a stop to it immediately. And by “immediately,” I mean as soon as I notice it. 😉 If both teams are being treated equally, on the other hand, I’ll let it go (hoping to hear something entertaining) until somebody complains. Then I’ll shut it down. In either case, I’ll make a report to the IHSAA. They want to know when PA announcers go beyond basic information, and start with play by play or critical commentary.

The more common “no huddle” offenses do present a potential issue here. The noise should cease when the offense breaks the huddle, since that’s when signal calling can start. If the offense doesn’t huddle, it’s got to stop when the offense starts lining up in formation.

As to how you go about it, sometimes you have a direct radio connection to the clock operator, and you relay the message to “knock it off” that way. Other times you relay the message through the head coach on the sideline, who gets it to the coaches in the booth, who pass it along. If the guy persists, you stop the game and locate the representative of game management (often the AD), and that will definitely take care of it. Especially when you mention that the next step is to start assessing 15 yd. penalties against the home team. 

Bob the year I had the MS issue, it was a POE. The dude was doing play by play while the ball was in play, including “no flag on the late hit out of bounds”.

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