The head coach of the Manitowoc Lincoln Ships football team has voiced his frustration with the WIAA.
Former Green Bay Packer O-Lineman Evan Smith shared an email he received from Austin Scheels, the Associate Vice President and the Football Chair of the Manitowoc County Sports Officials Association, on this week’s episode of the On the Line Podcast.
In the email, Scheels notes that the WIAA is stressing the importance of players “properly wearing equipment with an emphasis on knee pads and jerseys.”
Evan responded on the show, saying, “I played from when I was nine years old to when I was 33. At no point in time did a half-inch piece of foam keep my knee safe. If someone hits you in your knee and your ligaments say, ‘No,’ no, knee pad is going to stop it.”
Evan clarified that he is not trying to blame the refs for the rules they are being pressured to enforce, he just doesn’t understand why the WIAA is policing players’ looks instead of player safety.
“If you want to protect the players, how about we focus on the actual stuff that goes on on the field?” he asked. “Not ‘What does their eye black look like?’ or ‘How does the jersey look?’ It’s stupid. It’s a waste of time, to be completely honest, and it kills the entire energy of a lot of teams. Who cares how these kids look?”
The eye black comment stems back to a game last season where players on the Ships team were forced to wipe the eye black off of their face just before a game started because the referees were instructed to crack down on the rule which states that eye black can only be in a straight line across under the eye.
Evan also pointed to several instances last season where players on opposing teams made illegal hits or took shots after the whistle, some resulting in injury to Manitowoc players.
You can hear more about Evan’s issues with the rule by going to SeehaferPodcasts.com and listening to the August 13th episode of the On the Line Podcast.
