Giants coach Tom Coughlin was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct late in the first half of Sunday night’s preseason game, and although Coughlin yelled at referee Ed Hochuli on his way into the locker room at halftime, Coughlin admitted after the game that the penalty was his own fault.
The flag came because Coughlin left the bench area to get the officials’ attention to let them know that he wanted to call a timeout. Coughlin says he knows the officials have been instructed not to allow coaches to run onto the field.
“I’m taking full responsibility for that, I was wrong,” Coughlin said. “I was out on the field too many times. They warned me about that, but in that situation, you’re told by the officials to go ahead and come down if you need to take a timeout when the clock is running out, but that didn’t happen.”
Former NFL head of officiating Mike Pereira said that coaches leaving the bench area is a point of emphasis this season, so Coughlin won’t be the last coach to get such a flag. At least Coughlin learned his lesson in the preseason, not the regular season.