You might recall Terrelle Pryor's tribute to Michael Vick in Ohio State's opener last season against Navy. The words "Mike" and "Vick" were written on his eye black.
Vick wasn't alone. Tim Tebow got his faith-based message across each game, and countless other players had a message for viewers, from an area code or simple shout-out to mom.
Those days are coming to an end.
The Football Rules Committee, meeting in Fort Lauderdale, voted to require players who wear eye black to use solid black with no words, logos, numbers or other symbols. The rule will be in effect for the 2010 season, pending approval by the Playing Rules Oversight Panel. The oversight panel regularly rubber stamps recommendations by the rules committee.
Other rules changes include a crackdown on taunting. Players who draw flags for taunting gestures on their way to a touchdown would have the penalty assessed from the spot of the foul, taking away the score. Penalties that occur in the end zone would continue to be assessed on the extra-point attempt, two-point conversion try or ensuing kickoff. That proposal, which received near-unanimous support, would take effect in 2011.
The committee also agreed to stringent standards on players who have suffered a concussion. Such players will now have to be cleared by a doctor before returning to competition.
TV monitors will be allowed in coaches' booths in press boxes beginning in 2011. Feeds and equipment for home and visiting teams must be identical.
There will also be a requirement for a 10-yard buffer zone for pregame warmups. A no-player zone will be mandated between the 45-yard lines 60 minutes before kickoff.
This is a good thing, their "messages" were getting out of control.
BTW, Pryor's eye black said "Mika" and "Vick" for his sister and Michael Vick, repectively.
Posted by: Troy | February 12, 2010 at 06:49 AM
God forbid these kids, upon whose shoulders schools/the NCAA/television networks are making (literally) billions of dollars, have the ability to say something. No, they must be thoughtless, mindless drones content to play football--an undoubtedly emotional sport--with no excitement/interest whatsoever. These rules are preposterous, and if the Rules Committee thinks this addresses the most pressing issues in the sport, they are singlehandedly leading the sport down the road to irrelevance.
Posted by: Manuel | February 12, 2010 at 08:41 AM
I would never know what it said under Pryor's or Tebow's eyes, unless the television folks and other media made such a big deal of it.
And so Pryor has something written in quarter inch high letters under his eyes, is that any reason for television close-ups and zoom lens photos published everywhere?
Who really cares.
Truly, I can see what's next in this idiocy: TATTOOS!
"No tattoos with the names of persons or companies or political issues or foreign countries or endless other things, may be displayed on the arms or other unexposed flesh of the player."
I have a better more sensible suggestion: not only should we pay no attention at all to whatever these dim young men have written under their eyes, but we should pay no attention to their opinions and to the stupid things they say when the media fawns all over them after the game, asking them every stupid question under the sun, when who the heck really cares anyway.
Oh wait, there's a whole industry of camp-followers that make their living asking these dimwits post-game questions, and showing close-ups and zoom lens photos of their eye-black, and then prattling on endlessly about it all, isn't there?
Posted by: Coach | February 12, 2010 at 11:55 AM
Manuel,
the game is and should be bigger than the indivisual. that is the point.
my guess is you are also not white or b/tn the ages of 18-23.
in other words, you know nothing about the world ... yet.
Posted by: Beez | February 13, 2010 at 07:43 AM
Ha, gotta love a racist who can't compose a clear sentence calling someone else out for knowing nothing. I agree with Manuel in that this is an absurd rule.
Posted by: bbryan | February 13, 2010 at 11:40 AM
I'm white/Hispanic, older than 30, and I think this proposed rule is absurd as well. What is the harm, really? Why can't we let these kids actually, God forbid, have fun playing football? Why take the joy out of college football so that it rapidly approaching the corporate, soulless feel that the NFL is fast on its way to becoming?
Posted by: Rob | February 14, 2010 at 02:40 PM
Holy sh!t Beez, you really dropped a nuclear bomb there didn't you? For the record, I'm as white as they come (it's usually a liability), mid-30s, and an experienced attorney. I know plenty about the world, including: folks who resort to ageist, racist slants in lieu of actually defending their point of view are not worth my time. Since you didn't take any opportunity to actually criticize the substance of my argument, I'll assume race baiting is the best you've got.
Posted by: Manuel | February 15, 2010 at 07:33 PM