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Originally Posted by PIAA REF
I was asked this question and have yet been able to find documentation. If a player who wears eye-protective goggles (more so for protection than eye correction) Is he permitted to pull the glasses up and leave them on his head while he shoots a free-throw. I guess the players glasses were a little scratched and felt more comfortable to not look throw them while shooting free throws. Is there any rule or case that gives the correct ruling on this matter.
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James Worthy used to do this.
Glasses, goggles, and eye protectors are examples of additional equipment that are permitted as long as the item is deemed to be safe by the referee.
There is no problem here unless the referee believes that there is a safety issue. In this case, the safety issue can't be for the player wearing the item because it is noncompulsory, so by definition he can participate without it. You only need to judge whether it presents a problem to another player in the game. In this case, there should not be any contact with the FT shooter, so how can there be a problem?
This is the same issue mouthguards present. They are also noncompulsory in the vast majority of states (MA is one exception). Would you allow a player to take out his mouthguard and hold it in his hand while play is going on in order to breathe better? Is the mouthguard in his hand going to hurt someone?
I guess one could argue that the item is temporarily not being worn in the manner intended by the manufacturer, but that seems silly to me as this is clearly only a temporary situation.