NFL Referee John Parry Allows Time for Peyton Manning to Celebrate

NFL referee John Parry got to witness history happen Sunday night: with the best seat in the house, Parry saw Peyton Manning tie and break Brett Favre's record for the most touchdowns thrown in NFL history.

After the record-setting pass, Parry gave Peyton, the Broncos, and the fans a little extra time to celebrate before the extra point.

Are there rules for delay of game?  Of course, but this was a good opportunity to show good judgement and observe the "spirit of the rule" as opposed to the "letter of the rule".

Read the whole article from Denver Post here.

"Good call, ref!"

(Image Source: NJ.com)

Applying this to Basketball

As basketball officials, it is important to know the intent and purpose of the rule in order to enforce it correctly.  There will be times when observing "spirit (or intent) of the rule" makes more sense than observing the "letter of the rule".  Some examples are included below.

Minor Violations with No Press/Backcourt Defense

In the lower age levels, there may be rules regarding no press or backcourt defense.  The purpose of this is to allow the offense an opportunity to proceed to the front-court without pressure and establish an offensive play.

If the ball-handler is in the backcourt and commits a violation (carries the ball or shuffles his/her feet), is this a violation of the rules of basketball?  Of course.  Is there an advantage gained though if there is no press?  This is a good teaching moment for the players and a good opportunity to shown discernment: it might be better here to blow the whistle and tell the player(s) what they did wrong and then inbound again.

Fast Break with No Press/Backcourt Defense

On the flip-side, the intent/purpose of the no press/backcourt defense rule is to allow the offense an opportunity to advance the ball without pressure.  If the offense, however, tries to establish a fast break to beat the defense down the court, is the offense still afforded the opportunity of advancing the ball without pressure?

The offense is not allowed to take advantage of the fact that there is no press and try to establish a fast-break in order to beat the defense and put the defense in a disadvantage.  In this situation, the defense should be given an opportunity to play defense.

Travel with No Change of Space

Again, in the lower age levels, you may see players try to look for a teammate to pass the ball to and in that process shuffle their feet while they turn and look.  Is this a travel by the letter of the rule?  Absolutely.  Is there an advantage gained?

This might be another good teaching opportunity.  Maybe at the next dead ball to tell the coach what his/her players are doing wrong.