Are players not penalized for failing to wear knee pads, thigh pads and mouthpieces anymore? Has the rule been changed. Numerous players from Ohio State had no knee pads or thigh pads. Seems the coaches would pitch a fit about entering the field unprotected.
Q on a rule of the game
- Thread starter Neanderthal
- Start date
I wondered about that actually watching our game. I think Vann basically had on shorts with really long white socks (lol). No knee pads at all. That made me think; I want to say that there was a rule a few years back requiring players to have knee pads. Maybe not? Or was that in the NFL?
Well, mouthpieces are dangling off of face masks on about a third of the players on most plays. It was particularly noticeable with Ohio St tonight. And I’ve noticed the knee pads issue for several years now. It’s like the opposite of the years that baseball pants stretched down to the shoes.
About mouthpieces: I’m not sure about the college rule. But I was a high school ref here in SC for years. We were taught “preventive officiating” on that particular rule. If you see it, speak to the player between plays. Most of us really don’t want to be the story of the game, and I think handling it that way was better. I never saw a penalty called for it…but then again, most players complied if reminded.
There is a rule that you have to have a certain amount of padding covering those areas. It’s like 1/4” thick. Also, there was a big push a few years ago to get guys to keep their knees covered, that seems to have gone by the wayside.idk what the rules are now as I’ve been out of coaching 5 years.
If you played in the 1970s, you padded up or was flagged 15 yds., especially for mouthpiece. In the 80s and 90s as a coach, same thing. No player tested it, either. Nowadays, about all high schools have a trainer, and I’ve seen them walk through the warmup groups checking on proper equipment. It’s much more dangerous out there to not be padded up. The stuff they have now does not impede you a bit. In the 70s, we wore wrap-around hip pads and were proud to have them.
Rule 1-4-4-d (FR-21) Knee Pads. Knee pads must be at least ½-inch thick and must be covered by pants. Furthermore, the pants must cover the knees.
Yeah if we really worried about player safety the basic safety rules should be enforced
I think the players and refs realize that knee pads are worthless and provide no real protection. How many knee injuries could have been prevented by padding? It’s not like there are a lot of cracked knee caps from direct shots to the front of the knee.
Not true. I played in 70s and never wore all those bulky pads and neither did a lot of my teammates. Those just restricted movement and slowed you down. There was never a mention of it by any official.
True where we played - in the mountains of NC. And come October, we’d put in everything we could to keep warm.
On these turf fields, knee pads prevent abrasions but probably not knee injuries. I’d like to see an athletic trainer weigh in on this.
Watching NFL today since most are fighting for playoff spot or seeding, and I see none yet without all pads. Finally, we get cold weather in KC and snow in Buffalo.
Yeah, i guess it’s the players choice, but if I were a team paying all that money I would think you would require them to be protected! I’ve had carpet burns before, not fun!
I'm all for safety, but when is the last time you saw an injury that a knee pad would have prevented?
Perhaps yall had newer pads than me. Our's were pretty ragged out in the mid 70s. They were monstrous too. In fact I was one of the last ones to pick my pads out of a box. The pads I was left with were bigger than big and older than old. I'm not a huge guy, but my coach wanted me standing right beside him on the sideline when I wasnt playing because I looked intimidating. In fact that was my main job. Lol.
I think this is right. They are basically doing a cost benefit between mobility and the likelihood of an injury.
