Tobacco Penalty

[TheBearcatHimself]

Team A plays at Team B's field. Team A has player seriously injured on Team B's astro turf surface, injured player from Team A is out for the game (and season, but that is irrelevant here). Injured player from Team A removes jersey and moves outside track that circles the field to receive medical attention.

While in stands and with no jersey on, injured player asks for cigarette, receives one from fan of Team A traveling with team. Player starts smoking cigarette. Referee of said game sees player smoking cigarette in the stands, throws flag. Ruling: Three Minute Non-Releasable Tobacco Penalty.

My question: Is this a legitimate enforcement of the rule? Many factors play in here, but player for Team A has removed jersey and left field of play and is more than 50 yards from playing surface at time of penalty. Is lacrosse officiating meant to be morality police as well??

Situation is entirely hypothetical

[RopeNoRope]

If there is a penalty for tobacco use in the MCLA I bet those blue collar Sonoma boys know all about it with all the Skoal they're rocking.

That would be a B.S. call by that hypothetical ref though

[BigheadTodd]

Just out of curiosity, is this hypothetically college or HS?

[LaxRef]

NCAA or NFHS, I believe the penalty is the same: expulsion (which carries a 3:00 NR penalty). I'm glad this is hypothetical: the player is in the stands and is not a player anymore; if he was in an ambulance and had a cigarette, am I supposed to flag that, too?

Only once have I ever had this come up. In an MCLA game, one coach lit up at halftime. I just said, "Coach, please get rid of the cigarette so I don't have to eject you" and that was the end of that. I certainly could have tossed him at that point by rule, but that wouldn't have been prudent game management.

Of course, if I saw the same coach do it again, I'd toss him because now I know he knows it's an expulsion foul.