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The crew erred. Should have used common sense and let him play. From USA Today
Football player without legs eligible to play
DAYTON, Ohio (AP) Game officials made a mistake when they kept a high school football player who has no legs from playing last week, the Ohio High School Athletic Association said.
Bobby Martin, a senior at Colonel White High School in Dayton who was born without legs, was told at halftime of Friday's game at Mount Healthy High School in Cincinnati that he could not finish the game.
The officials said Martin was violating a rule that requires players to wear shoes, thigh pads and knee pads. Martin had played in his team's previous three games as a member of the punt return squad, using his arms to move down the field.
"The officials erred, but they erred on the side of caution," said Bob Goldring, an assistant commissioner with the OHSAA. "They did not want to see him get hurt."
A doctor had cleared Martin to play before the season started, Goldring said. However, the athletic association was unaware of Martin's participation on the team until Monday, when administrators at Dayton Public Schools contacted commissioners to complain about the way Martin was treated in Cincinnati.
Goldring said the association planned to send a letter Tuesday to the Dayton school district that reaffirms Martin's eligibility. Colonel White coaches can present the letter to future game opponents or officials who might question Martin's participation, he said.
Martin said the episode left him perplexed.
"It's the first time in my life I ever felt like that," said Martin, whose team lost to Mount Healthy 41-12. "Everybody was looking at me, talking about what I didn't have. I felt like a clown. I hated it. I just wanted to know why it was different this game than all the rest."
Carolyn Woodley, the athletic director at Colonel White, said sometimes common sense has to prevail.
"The doctors have said it's OK for Bobby to play, so have his parents, and he has the necessary grades. That's all he needs," Woodley said.
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