Legally Equipped? Why Do We Ask?

[Texas Aggie]

We ask the coaches - and THEY are liable, not us.

This is probably NOT a controlling legal standard. While it is very unlikely for an official to be sued, and even more unlikely (depending on the state) for an official to be held liable for a player's injury due to illegal equipment worn by another player, asking the coach has nothing to do with it. You are negligent if you breach a duty (or standard of care) you owe to someone else and that breach proximately causes harm to that person. Assuming you owe the players a duty -- and I'm not sure you do, but if you do (state specific) its more narrow than many assume -- you're still likely going to breach that duty if you take the coach's word for it and ignore other, reasonable measures to determine if a player has illegal equipment. Further, the player isn't going to sue the coach; if you cross claim him, you now have the burden to show he or she bears responsibility, and all I can say is, good luck. They can always say they were mistaken, plus, you get into all sorts of legal issues regarding what duty he or she owes a player of the opposing team.

It can be a huge mess, but the statement listed above is not just too simplistic, it is legally incorrect. I caution non-lawyers against making definitive legal statements.