face shield

[timharris]

hello


is it legal for a player to wear a clear shield in high school football? i know they cant wear the tinted ones.

thank you

[jrfath]

Clear is legal.

Rule 1-5-3n - Illegal equipment includes...Eye shields which are not clear, not molded, or not rigid.

[stevesmith]

I've watched 4 college games on TV this season and all 4 of them had at least one player with an obviously dark tinted shield. Why are the college guys allowed to get away with it? This is why the high school coaches throw such a fit when we try and enforce it at the high school level!!!

[SWFLguy]

I think the clear eye shield
in high school is related to the rule
the calls for the R deciding if a player
was unconscious.
I never liked that rule either as I didn't
like the fact that an official was put in
a position to decide the extent of an injury.

[Jim S]

SWFLguy, That's the reason FOR the rule. It allows a medically untrained official to errror on the side of safety.

[BktBallRef]

Originally posted by SWFLguy
I think the clear eye shield
in high school is related to the rule
the calls for the R deciding if a player
was unconscious.
I never liked that rule either as I didn't
like the fact that an official was put in
a position to decide the extent of an injury.

You're looking at it backwards.

If "medical personnel" say he can't play, great, he's done.

But if they say that he can play, and I look into his eyes and see that he looks like he's in La-La Land, he ain't playing, I don't care what they say.

That's what Jim is saying.

[BulldogMcC]

Actually, it has to be clear so the R, EMT's, Coaches and Doctors can look at his eyes without moving/removing his helmet. It is the need to see the eyes without causing potential damage to an injured head/neck/back by removing the helmet that means we have to see the eyes through a clear shield. In NY, we have been told there is now an exception for players that get a letter from a doctor. The player can petition the state association for a waiver if the player has a legitimate medical condition that would require a tinted shield. The state associations board, lawyers and doctors review it and if they consent, they will issue a letter to the school that they have to give a copy to the U each game. That said, I have yet to hear of the state even receiving a petition let alone approving one. But when coaches or parents ask, that is where we direct them.

[Texas Aggie]

Just FYI, since most of you guys work Fed, the NCAA rule specifically says, "transparant." To me, that doesn't mean "unshaded." However, I don't work college, but I do work NCAA HS in Texas. Texas UIL (state assn.) says it must be clear and unshaded, so I don't need to go too deep on what "transparent" means. Only exceptions are with written authorization filed with the state office. They can't come out with a piece of paper at game time to get around it.

For you guys that work Fed and get trouble from HS coaches complaining about what's going on in college games, just say, "Coach, they play under different rules," and end it at that. I don't care if the wording is similar or even the same. Often there are different interpretations between the various committees. I would say something similar -- "coach, we have exceptions in HS that they don't have."

If that doesn't work, just say, "OK, Coach," and end it there.

[ABoselli]

In NY, we have been told there is now an exception for players that get a letter from a doctor

I hadn't heard anything about that. Was that covered at the state meeting?

[Theisey]

That hasn't been passed down to my neck of the NY woods. Our chapter interpretor was at the state meeting, and did not mention anything back in August at the chapter clinic.

I doubt something like this would come about this late.

[BulldogMcC]

Originally posted by ABoselli
In NY, we have been told there is now an exception for players that get a letter from a doctor

I hadn't heard anything about that. Was that covered at the state meeting?

That came down in last year's pe-season clinic. I have not seen it in writing nor have I ever seen a granted exception, but I know that is the route we direct people to take. For all I know, it could just be a ploy to stop people from pestering us that day, but it was passed along last year.

[cowbyfan1]

Originally posted by Texas Aggie
Just FYI, since most of you guys work Fed, the NCAA rule specifically says, "transparant."

Wow, Adrian Peterson of OU had a totally shaded shield on today at UCLA. Could not see his face at all.

[Texas Aggie]

I can assure you that things look different on TV, especially when dealing with shades, lighting, artificial lighting, glare, etc.

However, I did notice that yesterday myself.

[Dale Smith]

Originally posted by stevesmith
I've watched 4 college games on TV this season and all 4 of them had at least one player with an obviously dark tinted shield. Why are the college guys allowed to get away with it? This is why the high school coaches throw such a fit when we try and enforce it at the high school level!!!

The college guys don’t get away with it. The NCAA will give permission for a player to wear a tinted shield. But the player and the school have to jump through some hoops to get permission to use it.
Two different sets of rules and a different philosophy to the game. One thing to remember is that the NFHS rules are written mostly by administrators. Coaches write the NCAA rules. The two groups take a different approach to the game.

[grantsrc]

For NCAA, you are correct, the wording is "transparent." But, in college the responsibility is placed on the training staff, not the officials, for players' safety. Whereas in Fed, the legality/responsibility is placed on the officials. If you ask me, I would hate to have that burden placed on me!!

So bottom line:
Fed- Clear
NCAA- Transparent (can be colored but must be able to see the eyes through it)