NCAA 5-13 Protested Game

Protested Game

SECTION 13.     a. For regular-season contests, each conference should adopt a procedure for protesting a game when a coach claims that an umpire’s decision is in violation of these rules/ Decisions on a protest involving nonconference teams shall be resolved by the secretary-rules editor of the rules committee. No protest ever shall be permitted on judgment decisions by the umpire.

b. Any protest by the coach of a competing team must be made at the time of the action or incident that caused the protest and before play is resumed. If the game ends (legal contest) in a protestable situation, the offended team has until all infielders have left fair territory and the catcher has cleared the dirt circle to voice its protest intentions. All protests must be made to the umpire-in-chief.

c. When a coach claims that an umpire’s decision violates NCAA rules, the umpire-in-chief must: (1) allow the coach the right to file a protest; (2) announce to each coach, to the official scorer and to the public-address announcer that the game is being played under protest; and (3) note and record the game situation at the time of the protest.

d. No replay of any part of a game will be allowed, even if the protest is proven to be legitimate, if the play in question did not directly affect the outcome of the game.

e. If the protest is proven to be legitimate and could have had a bearing upon the game, then it is upheld and play resumes from the point of the protest.

Note: For nonconference games, it is the responsibility of the two competing teams to arrange for the completion of the game or declare such game “no contest.”

f. Once ejected, a head coach may not protest a game situation. If a protest is to be lodged, it must be done by the substitute head coach.