SECTION 3. Timeouts: Starting and Stopping the Clock
Length of Timeouts
ARTICLE 8.
a. A charged full team timeout requested by any player or head coach shall be one minute plus the five-second referee notification and the 25-second play clock interval. (Exception:Rule 3-3-4e-3)
b. For live-televised games only, a charged team timeout shall be 30 seconds plus the five-second referee notification and the 25-second play clock interval. However, the head coach may request that one of the allowed three timeouts in each half be a full timeout. This request should be communicated to the referee when the timeout request is made to the officials. The charged team timeout during an extra period (Rule 3-1-3h) may be a full timeout, at the request of the head coach.
c. In other than live-televised games, the head coach may request that any charged team timeout be 30 seconds in duration, plus the five-second referee notification and the 25-second play clock interval. The head coach indicates this request visually by touching their hands to their shoulders. The signal must be made promptly after the timeout is requested.
d. Other timeouts shall be not longer than the referee deems necessary to fulfill the purpose for which they are declared, including a radio or TV timeout, but any timeout may be extended by the referee for the benefit of an injured player (Refer to Appendix A for the guidelines for game officials to use during a serious on-field player injury).
e. If the team charged with a full team timeout wishes to resume play before the expiration of one minute and its opponent indicates readiness, the referee will declare the ball ready for play.
f. The length of a referee’s timeout depends on the circumstances of each timeout.
g. Penalty options must be exercised before a team timeout.
h. The intermission after a safety, try or successful field goal shall be not more than one minute. It may be extended for radio or television.
