Contact lens issue with a T

[BktBallRef]

Originally Posted by JerzeeRef

Not pulling anyones chain here......just learning as I go along in this great game of life. It's always nice to see the different opinions out there.

Even though 3-7 Safety Concerns, allows me to use my judgement for any item that constitutes a safety concern.

So I have a child here that needs two eyes to drive, read, go to school, etc.etc., I now have this player closing one eye while trying to shoot or catch a pass or run, in my opinion this was a safety concern.

In you opinion, I might have been a little OOO, or Bull$hit. I'm sorry that we don't agree. But this was a first for me, I did not have time to think this over. I reacted to what I felt was a safety concern.

I could just see it now: The Judge "So, Mr. Referee you saw #12 remove his contact, close his eye and try to play, just before a pass, that he did not see crushed him in the face breaking his nose....and you felt this was not a safety concern? I'm sorry but you are still liable for his his injuries."

Okay, let me attempt at being more constructive.

You can send a player to the bench for failure to wear required equipment properly.
You send a player to the bench for wearing illegal equipment.

That's it.

You cannot send a player to the bench because he decided he doesn't want to wear something that's not required. Whether it's glasses, socks, a t-shirt, jock strap, or cup, you can't stop him or send him out of the game.

The coach was 100% correct, he now has no respect for you as an official and he's telling every coach and official he talks to what you did.

Tell you what, if you don't believe us, call your assignor and tell him what you did. (Of course, he may already have heard.) Then, get back to us.

Until then....Merry Christmas!

[justacoach]

Originally Posted by JerzeeRef

Not pulling anyones chain here......just learning as I go along in this great game of life. It's always nice to see the different opinions out there.

Even though 3-7 Safety Concerns, allows me to use my judgement for any item that constitutes a safety concern.

I might have been a little OOO, or Bull$hit. I reacted to what I felt was a safety concern.

Double BS!!! The only legit safety concern is the one you neglected: The crumpled up pieces of contact lens on the floor...
I'm sure you'll have a hard time living down this episode

[APG]

Originally Posted by JerzeeRef

Not pulling anyones chain here......just learning as I go along in this great game of life. It's always nice to see the different opinions out there.

Even though 3-7 Safety Concerns, allows me to use my judgement for any item that constitutes a safety concern.

So I have a child here that needs two eyes to drive, read, go to school, etc.etc., I now have this player closing one eye while trying to shoot or catch a pass or run, in my opinion this was a safety concern.

In you opinion, I might have been a little OOO, or Bull$hit. I'm sorry that we don't agree. But this was a first for me, I did not have time to think this over. I reacted to what I felt was a safety concern.

I could just see it now: The Judge "So, Mr. Referee you saw #12 remove his contact, close his eye and try to play, just before a pass, that he did not see crushed him in the face breaking his nose....and you felt this was not a safety concern? I'm sorry but you are still liable for his his injuries."

Are you taking a player out who wears goggles for his vision but decides to take them off? What about a player who's wearing a brace but decides to take it off. What about a player who began the game with a wrap but decides to take off the tape?

The opinion has been unanimous...this was completely over officious.

[Cobra]

Originally Posted by JerzeeRef

So I have a child here that needs two eyes to drive, read, go to school, etc.etc., I now have this player closing one eye while trying to shoot or catch a pass or run, in my opinion this was a safety concern.

Actually you only need one good eye to drive legally (may not be true everywhere). No one needs two eyes to read nor to go to school.

How bad do one's eyes have to be before they can play with only one contact lens?

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by JerzeeRef

Not pulling anyones chain here......just learning as I go along in this great game of life. It's always nice to see the different opinions out there.

They're not opinions. They're correct interpretations of the rule.

As you said above, learn from it as you go along. Part of that learning is admitting to yourself that you indeed did made a mistake. Once you do that, it should be a mistake that you'll never make again.

[26 Year Gap]

Originally Posted by JerzeeRef

Not pulling anyones chain here......just learning as I go along in this great game of life. It's always nice to see the different opinions out there.

Even though 3-7 Safety Concerns, allows me to use my judgement for any item that constitutes a safety concern.

So I have a child here that needs two eyes to drive, read, go to school, etc.etc., I now have this player closing one eye while trying to shoot or catch a pass or run, in my opinion this was a safety concern.

In you opinion, I might have been a little OOO, or Bull$hit. I'm sorry that we don't agree. But this was a first for me, I did not have time to think this over. I reacted to what I felt was a safety concern.

I could just see it now: The Judge "So, Mr. Referee you saw #12 remove his contact, close his eye and try to play, just before a pass, that he did not see crushed him in the face breaking his nose....and you felt this was not a safety concern? I'm sorry but you are still liable for his his injuries."

You indicated that the player was removed from the game by you when he was at the free throw line. There was no "player closing one eye while trying to shoot or catch a pass or run". Are you an optometrist? Do you have a pocket eye chart? What you did has made you "That Guy". And arguing with us about it makes me wonder if your partner's name was Costello. Because you appear to be Yabut.

Admit your mistake and hope that you can move on and not make another one like that. It will take a lot of games to get to the point where you can look back and laugh at what you did and to have others around you in your association and in the coaching fraternity not think of you in that manner. It will take a lot more if you think what you did was right.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by 26 Year Gap

Do you have a pocket eye chart?.

Print. Laminate. Keep it in your warmup jacket pocket with your needle.

[just another ref]

Originally Posted by JerzeeRef

I could just see it now: The Judge "So, Mr. Referee you saw #12 remove his contact, close his eye and try to play, just before a pass, that he did not see crushed him in the face breaking his nose....and you felt this was not a safety concern? I'm sorry but you are still liable for his his injuries."

If he comes in with a white cane and a dog and you let him play, that doesn't make you liable for his injuries.

"Dammit, Jim, you're not a doctor!"

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Originally Posted by JerzeeRef

Another first.

2 minutes into the game, #12 Red inbounding ball on the endline. As I'm about to bounce the ball to him I notice him pulling his eye lid / rubbing his eye, not looking at me. I step in and ask if there is a problem. "Yea, my contact just rolled in back of my eye and it won't come down". I give him 10-15 seconds with no luck....tweet, "coach I need a sub for #12" Sub comes in, life goes on, all is good.

5 minutes later #12 Red back in the game with his contact lens issue taken care of. #12 Red drives the lane is hammered, I got the foul, and report to the table. As my partner is about to bounce the ball to #12, we have the shooter again playing with his eye. Again I ask if there is a problem, this time he pulls the contact out, shows me that it is wrinkled up. he proceeds to tear the contact in half and throw it on the court.

I tell my partner to hold up for a second as I motion for #12 to follow me to the bench. I ask the coach for a sub......and here it comes from the coach "Why!!!". Coach he is not properly equiped with only one lens. Coach proceeds to tell me I can't do that and to show him in the rule book where I can remove his player. I tell him again #12 is no longer properly equipped, he started the game with two contact lenses.

The coach then proceeded to tell me that I was the one that needed the contact lenses, so I won't miss the calls I've been missing....tweet....T.

5 days into the high school season........off to a good start.

JerzeeRef:

ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING???

If I were your IAABO Assigner in North Jersey because I would be ripping you a new !@#$%^&. What possessed you to do such a thing??

Under normal conditions the coach's comments deserve a TF, but, as my umpiring brethen would say: "You really screwed the pooch on this one."

MTD, Sr.

[RobbyinTN]

How long have you been officiating? This sounds like a power hungry rookie call. It is not my place to determine if the player is capable of playing without a lens or not. Improperly equipped does not mean missing a contact lens!! For all you know there were some kids out there that were suppose to have contacts but didn't so are they improperly equipped as well? If a player starts the game with a knee support and takes it off later in the game, are you going to make him leave because obviously he needs that brace to continue ?

Me thinks having stripes on your shirt has gone to your head.

If you see that you don't get a lot of game assignments, don't be surprised.

Robby

[BillyMac]

I once had a partner who worked a game with only one contact lens. He got half his calls right.

[Adam]

He could have been wearing them for aesthetic reasons (changing eye color).