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Editorial from Today's Cincinnati Enquirer....
Ohio high school insider
Vilifying game officials unfair
By Tom Groeschen
Enquirer staff writer
As usual, everyone is blaming the officials.
Frankly, that's just not right.
We speak of the Bobby Martin affair, which made national news last week. Martin, a senior football player at Dayton Colonel White who was born without legs, was told at halftime of a Sept. 16 game at Mount Healthy that he could not finish the game.
Game officials decided it was unsafe for Martin to be on the field, citing a mandatory equipment rule that players must wear shoes, thigh pads and knee pads. The resulting firestorm has made Martin a celebrity and the game officials villains. USA Today, ESPN, CNN and Good Morning America all jumped aboard, along with the Cincinnati and Dayton media.
Martin's story indeed is inspirational, and we applaud him. We can only imagine what he has gone through in his life.
But what about the officials? They've gotten killed on the airwaves and in print, while Cincinnati-based Dennis Daly - the crew chief for the game - has declined comment.
"I don't know what I'd have done," said Bob Sagers Sr., a Cincinnati crew chief who has officiated for 44 years. "There's nothing in the rulebook for this situation. I don't know what I'd have done unless I'd actually been there."
Most of us were not there, but that hasn't stopped some from being judge, jury and executioner.
"The vilification of these officials is very unfair," said Kyle McNeely, an official for 25 years. "In their minds they didn't know what to do, and they were really trying to protect the kid. What if he gets hurt, and then they're in court with a lawsuit."
McNeely is rules interpreter for the Butler County Football Officials Association. He said there is nothing in the OHSAA rulebook to account for Martin's situation, although you can bet next year's edition will be updated.
As we now know, Martin played in three previous games in Dayton this season. This was Colonel White's first trip to Cincinnati this year, and here's what should have happened:
The school should have contacted the Ohio High School Athletic Association before the season to explain the situation and receive a blanket waiver for Martin. Copies of the waiver should have been e-mailed in advance to opponents and officials. But that apparently didn't happen, which is why we have this mess.
"Officials do this for two reasons," McNeely said. "A love for the sport, and a huge desire for the kids to gain what they have in the past from the game. If this player courageously wants to play the game, why didn't they check with the OHSAA and get it worked out beforehand?"
By the way, officials make $50 per game. "We don't get paid much money, and we take a lot of abuse," McNeely said. "You've got a very unusual experience here. Our primary concern deals with the safety and welfare of the kids. I know those guys were trying to do the right thing."
Keep that in mind, especially if you read or hear any more about how the officials "erred."
And let's celebrate what this really is, a courageous youngster who just wants to play ball.
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