SECTION 4. Players and Playing Equipment
Prohibited Field Equipment
ARTICLE 11. Jurisdiction regarding the presence and location of communication equipment (cameras, sound devices, etc.) within the playing enclosure resides with game management personnel.
b. Only voice communication between the press box and team area is permitted. Coaches’ booth space and location must be approximately equivalent for the home and visiting teams and should be located in the traditional press box area. Where press-box space is not adequate, only voice communication may originate from any area in the stands between the 20-yard lines extended to the top of the stadium. No other communication for coaching purposes is permitted anywhere else, including communication from outside the stadium (remote coaching).
Exceptions:
Coach-to-coach communications through the helmet is permissive for the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) based on the following:
Only one (1) player may be on the field per team at a time with radio receiving capability and the player must be identified by an unbranded green dot on the back midline of the helmet.
Coach-to-player communications will be shut off when the play clock reaches 15 seconds or at the snap, whichever comes first, and will remain off throughout the down. When the play clock is reset to 25/40, the communications will be restored. If more than one green dot helmet per team is detected on the field by the game officials, the result is a live ball 5-yard equipment violation penalty, and this penalty initiates a conference review.
A conference may develop a policy to provide guidance in handling situations dealing with communications failure.
