Expanding video review in men's lacrosse for coach's challenges and officials was proposed this week.
The Division I Men's Lacrosse Rules Subcommittee and the Division II and III Rules Committee, which both met this week, made the recommendations.
All rules changes must be approved by the Division II and III Playing Rules Oversight Panel (July 22) and the Division I Men's Lacrosse Oversight Committee (July 27) before they become official.
Under the coach's challenge, a request could be made to initiate a review of a goal that could be negated for the following violations:
- Offsides.
- Too many players on the field.
- To see whether a player in possession of the ball stepped on a boundary line (the midline and restraining lines).
The challenge could be requested only if the goal was scored within 15 seconds of when the violation occurred and no whistle has sounded between the potential violations listed above and the goal.
If the clock is not burned into the video feed, officials may use a stopwatch while reviewing the play at actual speed to determine the 15-second count.
Also, officials may initiate video review of potential contact to the head/neck without having originally made a call.
If there is a play where officials have originally made a call for contact to the head/neck, officials may rescind the penalty if video review confirms there was no illegal contact.
"We've seen video review grow incrementally since it was put in," said Jerry Price, chair of the Division I Men's Lacrosse Rules Subcommittee and senior writer and historian at Princeton. "Some of the changes have been reactive to situations that have come up that needed to be handled. Some of it is trying to anticipate the next thing and trying to figure out what the unintended consequences might be. We want to make sure the flow of the game is maintained."
Game ball color
For all three divisions, the committees recommended that the standard game balls should be fluorescent green or yellow by the 2026-27 academic year. That would become a requirement by the 2027-28 academic year.
Members from both rules committees think the change can provide increased visibility for the student-athletes, officials, spectators and television audiences.
Overtime
Until the winning goal is scored, overtime would be played in 15-minute periods. All timeout and video challenge rules would remain unchanged.
Currently, overtime is conducted in four-minute periods, with the teams switching sides until the game-winning goal is scored.
Experimental rule
In fall competition in all three divisions, teams can experiment with a rule that if a player releases the ball below the restraining line on the defensive end of the field, it will be considered a legitimate shot only if a goal is scored or the ball hits the piping of the net.
Both committees discussed a tactic that has surfaced where teams facing a time violation hurl the ball from its defensive end without trying to make a legitimate shot attempt. Teams place a player near the endline in the offensive end so they will be awarded possession of the ball.
The committees would like to receive feedback from teams who use the experimental rule this fall.
