this post was submitted on 26 Nov 2023
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Imagining a scenario where the clock is running and the end of the game and the team with the ball needs to kick to win: can the head coach ask the referee to apply his timeout at :03 or does he have to manually make the timeout signal?

We seem to always see them make the signal, but is there a scenario where the coach can say “if it gets to a 3 seconds, I want a timeout?”

Or do they just have to do it every time?

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[–] Slinky5737@infosec.pub 1 points 9 months ago

Strictly speaking, they always have to signal it. However, you might notice the coaches will grab one of the officials and let him/her know that the coach will want to call a timeout. This is especially true when the coach is deliberately letting the clock run down. The coach may even say that they're planning to call a timeout with X seconds left, but they still have to actually call it.

So to answer your question directly, the coaches always have to formally call a timeout and make the signal; they can't tee one up and rely on an official to call it for them.