[Bongle]

I think that if a team puts a robot on the field that doesn't have its radio plugged in, it is their own fault, and it isn't the FTA's job to make sure they have it right.

As for the "but what about the alliance they bring down with them?" argument, that's an invalid argument. If that argument guided decisions, then teams with poor robots would never get to play, because they'd bring down their alliance. A team with an unplugged radio made a mistake, and their alliance partners made a mistake by not checking for the unplugged radio.

The ease of checking for and fixing an unplugged radio and the dire consequences of failing to do so should make it absolutely inexcusable for a team or alliance to be so boneheaded as to put a robot on a field with their radio unplugged.

Then there are the logistics issues if the FTA allowed them to plug it in once they detected an unplugged radio:
-What if a team's radio is located in a relatively inaccessible location on the robot?
-Would they delay the match by 2 minutes while the team digs out the radio and plugs it in?
-Will they only allow teams with accessible radios to plug them in?
-Who would decide what is an accessible radio versus an inaccessible radio?
-What if they accidentily discover (or cause) another wiring bug like unplugged cables? Will they be allowed to put those back in?
-If not, how would you enforce the "only plug in your radio and nothing else" rule?