|
My partner(s) and I have dealt with illegal headbands on numerous occasions. Most of the time, there is a shrug followed by cooperation. But we did have a game where the reaction was considerably more.
In that game, during warmups, we noticed that BOTH teams were wearing illegal headbands. The visiting team (wearing maroon jerseys) players were wearing black headbands and the home team (wearing white jerseys) players were wearing one of their school colors (not white). Both teams were uniform and looked good ... but they were not complying with the rule. We told the captains and had them take care of it.
The assistant coach of the home team, followed shortly by the head coach, came across the floor to talk to us about why their team had to remove their headbands. We cited the rule. They cited the fact that no other officials had asked them to remove their headbands. We cited the rule and said that we were asked to come to this game and enforce the rules. A few minutes later, while I'm at the scorer's table checking the books, the home team athletic director comes up to me and wants to talk about headbands. He thinks the school colors look good and he thinks it's crazy that they cannot be worn. I tell him that I personally agree with him, but that's not what the rule permits. He questions whether that is the rule and says that if that were the rule, why weren't the schools notified of the rule. I tell him that the rule is in the rule book, including the front section where rules changes are highlighted, the rule was covered at the state rules meeting (at which coaches are required to attend), the rule is on the NFHS web site, and in pre-season publications. He walks off saying that he'll look into it.
The response from home team coaches/administrators certainly was not very gracious. (The visiting team made not one peep about it.) Later in the game when a home team substitute tried to check into the game at the second horn at the conclusion of a timeout, my partner -- who was by the scorer's table -- told the substitute that she could not enter the game at that time because she needed to have checked in prior to the first horn. The home team coach told him (my partner): "Man, you guys are going to nit-pick everything tonight."
(Sigh)
|