Ankle bracelet
 

NFHS

As the starters were being introduced, I noticed one of them with a pink ankle bracelet. Stepped over to the coach and asked if he knew about his player wearing the ankle bracelet. He said he did and the player was showing it as a sign of support for her mother who was battling breast cancer. All the other girls on her team had pick shoelaces.
I let it go, would you?

I'll let it go if you can find the FED rule "jewelry is only illegal if it's worn on the ears, neck or wrist."

Bob, now I'm a bit confused.

In a previous thread about belly rings, I sad to "ignore it."

You said.

"Disagree. Handle the same way."

(That is, handle the same way once you know about it. Look for earrings and nose or lip piercings, etc; don't look for navel or nipple piercings.)

So, are you going to ignore the ankle jewelry if you know about it, but the bely ring must come out? I would imagine the belly ring is probably more dangeous and could cause more injury. I'm just trying to get a read here so in my mind I can be consistent.

1) An ankle bracelt is covered under the same category as "earrings...". That is, look for it.

2) Whether you look for it or not, once you find it, enforce it.

Thanks!

Great cause...but I'd never allow it without previous explicit direction from a governing body. Religious and medical alert medals/bracelets are specifically covered in the rules. This one isn't.

sorry guys but
 

You know, I am going to have to lean the other way here. Unless the governing body specifically says that this team has been warned about this before or something of that nature...I am letting this slide. I have lost too many people to this disease, and I just could not tell her she had to take it off....I understand all the implications if somone hangs a finger etc etc etc....there are just way bigger things in life than those little books that we all refer to.....IMHO

Can't Convince Him Otherwise ...
 

I know that officials are not supposed to wear jewelry, except, possibly, a wedding band, but my parole officer won't allow me to take off my ankle bracelet for any reason. Not even for basketball officiating.

I agree with your entire point....except for letting it slide.

There are things just way more important than the books or the game on the floor...so the player will not be playing with jewelry on. I wouldn't think to say they had to remove it...just that she can't play with it on. If they feel it is more important to wear the jewelry than it is to play, that is their choice.

I might suggest to the player that if the bracelet was under her sock, I probably wouldn't notice it.

+1.
Just curious if it was metallic or one of the rubbery ones that people wear on their wrists. No reason. Just curios.

Ding ding...that would be my answer.

you sure it wasnt a parole monitoring bracelet :D

Hey Johnny-come-lately, check post #8. :p

doh

For the record it was one of those pink rubbery bracelets. The mention of pulling the sock over the bracelet is good. However, I think she was wearing those low socks

Ok thanks. That is what I was thinking. There is also the possiblilty of using athletic tape to cover it.

Not under the rules, there isn't.

If it's visible, it comes off.

How far do you take these things? Yes, cancer is a great cause; it is an insidious disease that affects most everyone in some way. But there are other diseases...and causes...that also issue bracelets. Where do you draw the line? Would you allow one and not another? Or are you going to allow several bracelets to be worn, depending on your personal empathy to a particular cause?

This one is is a no-brainer imo. Go to someone in authority in your association/state and get their direction. Then have everyone in your local area call it uniformly. Don't be "that guy".

Based on this situation I would be a little more lenient if I had to make an on the spot decision. I would be all for pulling a sock over it, or putting tape around the ankle to cover it.
After the game I would def. notify the assignor and let them know the situation and let them handle the situation. I would rather not be that guy who disrespected the memory of the girls mother. Once there was a direction one way or the other, then I would go with it.
If it was some type of friendship bracelet etc, then no. Tape over the ear? Yep pretty sure they are trying to cover an earring. Gotta go. Even had one girl with tape over her nose like it was broke, but was just had her nose pierced BEFORE the game. Nope!

Are you kidding me with this? How is not allowing a kid to wear a bracelet disrespecting her mother? That's ridiculous on so many levels. What if she wore a huge pink earring in memory of her mother? Please. This is silly. No jewelry. Period. Have some stones...

He said he did and the player was showing it as a sign of support for her mother who was battling breast cancer

That would be how. Let the coaches, AD's and Assignors decide how to proceed going forward. If we had received directions prior to the game that this player was doing this and it needed to be removed, then I would have it removed. Having the inforation given in the original post, I would ask her to cover it (sock or tape) and after the game alert the assignor about the situation so that there will be a "uniform" policy on the matter.
And we are not talking about ear rings. we are talking about a rubber ankle braclet. If I wanted to be ridiculous I would have said we could let it go as is b/c it is a sign of the grieving process which is a medical condition ergo: legal. Or I could have said that if she just pulled it up just under her knee cap it could be classified as a medical necessity b/c it would appear to be acting as a petalla brace. Now THAT would be ridiculous.

There are MANY signs of support that would be legal. She could write mom's name on her shoe (in pink even). She could silently support her mom. On and on it goes. The one thing she can't do is support her mom by wearing illegal equipment. For crying out loud - it's a flippin' rubber bracelet (which is considered jewelry everywhere I've been) - what significance does this have??? It comes off or she doesn't play. Don't need any coaches, AD's or assigner's input. No brainer.

This kind of nonsense only happens in girl's games. It's a PITA.

Only MED-Alert bracelets are legal -- and even then, they must be taped so only the emblem shows.

You kid about this, but....
 

I saw this the other day in a men's league I officiated for. The player pulled his socks over the ankle bracelet and half way up his calf. I assume it was a ankle bracelet. It was that or he thought it fashionable to stuff a pack of cigarettes in their. I was too fearful to ask.

Assuming that a HS kid is required to have a monitoring bracelet, and his coach still wants him to play, what options does player A have to play?

Pull a sock over it (obvious bulge)? Take if off (obvious violation of the law)? None? (seems like best option to me)

He can't play with it on, and he can't take it off. One option left.

Intresting situation.

Technically, this is not jewelry....at least I don't think you'd ever find one in a jewelrey store/department unless it was being worn by someone robbing the place.

As Cameron pointed out, a monitoring bracelet is NOT jewelry (it may have a similar name, but it is not, in my opinion, the same for the purpose of this discussion). I would think that this would fall in the area of potentially dangerous equipment. If the game officials do not see a danger in the monitoring device, the player should be allowed to play. If the referee feels the device is dangerous, that player should not be allowed to play.

The only option imo would be to have a letter from the governing body(league or state) granting an exception to the rules and thus legalizing the wearing of the bracelet. If the onus is on an individual official to make a decision, you'd have to be goofy to allow it imo. Too much possible liability involved and your insurance may not be valid either if you ignore a plainly-written safety rule.

Sometimes the people that say "Oh, it's for a good cause. I'll allow it" forget that there might be other ramifications, such as losing their insurance coverage. Insurance coverage is usually based on full compliance of any applicable rules.


You can't label it as a guard or brace and simply have it padded and covered either. By rule the wearing of hard guards/braces are allowed for medical purposes only.

JMO.

Well - a case might be made that if they didn't wear their monitoring bracelet - it might affect their health. Especially if they got thrown into a cell with an angry or passionate Bubba. :D