Rule 3-7 Safety

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

... this is very subjective and often seen by certain people as a problem where others like myself would not find a problem. Also, people that write the rules never have been specific about this, and unless I am missing something we have individuals making these decisions ...

Agree the rule lacks specificity.

3-7: The referee must not permit any team member to participate if in his/her judgment any item constitutes a safety concern, such as, but not limited to, a player’s fingernails or hairstyle.

There's not a single reference to hair length/style safety in the casebook or in the annual interpretations.

Maybe the NFHS figures that it can't adjudicate every single possible safety issue, so it leaves this subjective decision up to the referee (not even the umpire).