I'm with the officials, not Team A
I believe the case book says that IF you see a player intentionally not using required equipment during the down-such as spitting out his mouthpiece or unbuckling his chinstrap it is a foul. If you do NOT see the act, then you are to assume the dis-use (?) resulted from game action and is not a foul.
If you catch it during the dead ball period, you should try to get the player to correct it and if not, flag and kill it for Failing to Wear required Equipment, which is considered delay of the game, I believe.