Baylor's Phil Massey to sit out Friday's game

photo Coach Phil Massey leads practice at Baylor School in this file photo.

If Baylor football coach Phil Massey sees his Red Raiders play Friday night at Montgomery Bell Academy, it will have to be via the Internet.

Although no penalty flags were thrown, Massey was ejected from last week's game and from the stadium at Knoxville Webb because an official brushed one of his Baylor assistants a second time.

"There was no sideline warning, because by rule there is no warning (because) there was contact by an assistant coach with an official in the first instance," said Matthew Gillespie, an assistant executive director of the TSSAA. "There was contact by an assistant coach and official, and when this happens a second time the head coach is automatically disqualified."

Massey left the field with about six minutes left in the second quarter and went to the pressbox. Officials then stopped the game with about two minutes left in the first half and sent an official to the pressbox to ask the coach to exit the stadium.

Massey essentially will miss six quarters of his team's season, and in addition either he or Baylor will have to pay a $250 fine.

The fine and the next-game ejection are covered in the TSSAA bylaws, but there is no mention in those bylaws or in the national federation rulebook regarding sideline warnings or penalties when an official bumps into someone along a team's sidelines a first or second time.

Neither Massey nor Baylor athletic director Thad Lepcio had heard officially or otherwise from the TSSAA as of Tuesday evening.

"The ruling has come down from our governing body, and I will abide by it," Massey said. "It has been a learning experience for me and my coaches. We stress to our kids the importance of doing the right thing, and we as coaches certainly have to walk the walk and do the right things. I will honor the penalties that are passed down by the TSSAA."

Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765. Follow him at Twitter/wardgossett.

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