Knee covering rule

[UmpSC]

Sports Illustrated has a photo on their front page about the LSU/Clemson game tonight.  Burrow and Lawrence, both shown in action photos, with their pants/pads WELL above their knees...   

[AlUpstateNY]

Players tonight, and at any other NCAA regulated games need to follow NCAA Rules.  NFHS players are governed by
NFHS: 1-5-1-d-2: "Knee pads which are unaltered from the manufacturer's original design/production, which are worn over the knee and under the pants, and shall be at least 1/2" thick or 3/8" thick if made of shock absorbing material.

Worth noting; NFHS: 9-5-1-h:  "Following pregame verification as in 1-5-4 a Coach allowing his/her players to use illegal equipment PENALTY: Art 1g &1h Nonplayer foul charged to Head Coach.  Articles 1, 2 & 3 "Any single foul judged by game officials to be flagrant is disqualification, a 2nd unsportsmanlike foul with a 15 yard penalty results in disqualification"..

[Kalle]

I wish NCAA would just fine schools say 10 grand for each player seen not wearing proper knee pads. NCAA could then just hire one or two video assistants who would go through the games. After a few games I'd bet that all schools would start enforcing the rule.

[ilyazhito]

Agreed. That is how the NFL enforces equipment rules as well. If the big boys wear their equipment properly, because of the fines, then D2, D3, and Junior College players will also cover their knees with kneepads.

[ncwingman]

Can we also get them to pull their shirts down so they don't look like Shania Twain ca. 1996?

I was working at the local college game last year, and there were about 6 players that were sent off for illegally worn equipment in the first three plays. That never happened again, and I wonder what the impetus was for it happening and stopping.

Players tonight, and at any other NCAA regulated games need to follow NCAA Rules.  NFHS players are governed by
NFHS: 1-5-1-d-2: "Knee pads which are unaltered from the manufacturer's original design/production, which are worn over the knee and under the pants, and shall be at least 1/2" thick or 3/8" thick if made of shock absorbing material.

Worth noting; NFHS: 9-5-1-h:  "Following pregame verification as in 1-5-4 a Coach allowing his/her players to use illegal equipment PENALTY: Art 1g &1h Nonplayer foul charged to Head Coach.  Articles 1, 2 & 3 "Any single foul judged by game officials to be flagrant is disqualification, a 2nd unsportsmanlike foul with a 15 yard penalty results in disqualification"..

Improperly wearing legal equipment is not the same as wearing illegal equipment -- 1-5-5, involve removing a player for a down due to this. That penalty was reduced because *we* weren't calling a 5 yard penalty for it. I don't think you're going to convince people that it should really be a 15 yard USC on the head coach. If you thought uniform rules weren't being enforced before...

[bama_stripes]

 There is a difference — a BIG difference IMO — between players not having required equipment or wearing/using illegal equipment, and players having the required equipment but not wearing it properly.

[Matt]

My first game this year was a middle school game where 5 players got off the bus without knee or thigh pads. Coach was not too happy when I wouldn't let them play. Every game there were way too many kids with their knees showing.

[AlUpstateNY]

Bad habits are difficult to break, when there are no consequences, or prescribed consequences are ignored.

[Ralph Damren]

Bad habits are difficult to break, when there are no consequences, or prescribed consequences are ignored.

Several years ago we often stopped a game several times to warn O-linemen to put their mouthpieces in. Prior to a new season to warned the coaches  that, per rule, we would penalize if we stopped the game. Some coaches listened....some slept....some slept with their eyes open. In the early games, some  were still thrown for Failure to Wear Proper Equipment Prior to the Snap. Soon ALL were wearing proper equipment prior to the snap . With our rule today, needing to replace a player for a down is not putting the player in favor with his coach. It works.

[ElvisLives]

Ralph,
Serious question: Who actually decides which officials work which games where you are?

Robert

[Ralph Damren]

Ralph,
Serious question: Who actually decides which officials work which games where you are?

Robert

We have 4 chapters in Maine. Each chapter has an assigner. Ours uses a rating system for regular season. In post season, he takes input from the coaches. Not many arguments.

[ElvisLives]

Ralph,
For post-season, he takes input from coaches, but ultimately, it is his decision who works any specific game, just like in regular season.  Is that correct?  If so, that’s how it should be. 
If we had that type of system here in Texas, we’d have better results in compliance with uniform and equipment rules.  Unfortunately, the coaches have the ultimate say in who works their games.  Although some chapters have managed to get coaches to allow them to assign officials without the coaches input, those are the exception, and it is certainly voluntary on the part of the coaches.  That can change in a heartbeat (or with the toss of an unfriendly flag). The rest of the state has to live under the spectre of the coaches (both teams) having to approve the officials for their games.  HACK off a coach and you are scratched.  Not a crisis at some locations. But, those locations with large attendance (read bigger game fee, since we get paid according to gate receipts) tend to make folks ‘careful’ about enforcing things like knees, mouthpieces, sideline control, etc.  Combine that with lax enforcement at the NCAA level, and you just aren’t gonna get compliance.
It won’t get better in Texas until the system is changed. We simply must get the coaches out of the assignment process.

Robert

[Ralph Damren]

Robert,
In post season our assigner asks the playoff bound coaches to supply a "wish list" of 20 with ranking of 1 thru 20 (we have aprox 50 in our chapter). He will then compare the lists of the two opponents and attempt to provide officials that are on both lists. With multiple games often officials are on multiple lists and ,in case of not being able to fulfill all of the wish lists, he uses our internal rating system to fill the crews.

For state championship games, all coaches can vote for 14 officials (we use 7 men for championship only) . The most vote-getters need to be in the top 25% of their chapter's rating. Assigners , along with the state office, compile the assignments. Some are disappointed , most see it as fair.

[ElvisLives]

Robert,
In post season our assigner asks the playoff bound coaches to supply a "wish list" of 20 with ranking of 1 thru 20 (we have aprox 50 in our chapter). He will then compare the lists of the two opponents and attempt to provide officials that are on both lists. With multiple games often officials are on multiple lists and ,in case of not being able to fulfill all of the wish lists, he uses our internal rating system to fill the crews.

For state championship games, all coaches can vote for 14 officials (we use 7 men for championship only) . The most vote-getters need to be in the top 25% of their chapter's rating. Assigners , along with the state office, compile the assignments. Some are disappointed , most see it as fair.

That system may have its flaws, but it is better than Texas’ system.  Sadly, I believe it would take State Legislative action to make the needed change, since the UIL is an element of the University of Texas (tax supported and legislatively funded).  Most state legislators are UT grads, and they aren’t about to do anything to weaken UT’s standing in the state, regardless of how minor, in the grand scheme of things.
And so it goes...