Tinted Visors in the West

Question
I've noticed a lot of questions pertaining to visors and their colors and I've just now thought of something. I've seen players in the Western States (Pac-10 Schools Especially) wearing dark visors. Is that allowed?

Answer
John
Under "NCAA" playing rules, a dark tinted visor is illegal equipment for all conferences and regions.  There can be no tinting or coloring of any degree or to any extent for any team, player or conference subject to the NCAA playing rules.   The reason for this is derived from a sports medicine/ safety basis.  The National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA)in the U.S. petitioned or lobbied the rules committee to make eye shields/visors illegal equipment if they had any amount tinting.  Players with neck & head injuries are to have their cervical spine immobilize for precautionary reasons. Such a player would also need to have his pupils evaluated to determine id there were any [head] neurological or brain injury.  A player with a tinted visor dose not allow the sports medical or emergency medical personnel to properly evaluate the pupils.  To properly evaluate the pupils medical personnel needs to have total access to the players pupils.  Thus to do so they would have to remove the eyeshield that could cause unnecessary jostling of the head and neck.  Evaluating the pupils through an eyeshield/visor with tinting does not give accurate data as to whether the pupils are equal and reactive to light.  The slightest of tinting can mask the pupils reaction/response to light.  A totally clear eyeshield with no degree of tinting will not affect the light waves on the pupil's response.  The NATA opined that if a player needed or wanted a tinted eye shield, it could be achieved best by glasses or contact lens that could be easily removed to allow access to the pupils without risk of moving a players head or neck.

I am aware of some photos of players wearing dark visors, some of those photos predated the rule, other photos are of African American players or players with dark completions thus giving an appearance of a dark tinted visor. I am also aware of a photo of a player who was wearing illegal equipment/dark visor.  I believe this was taken care of the following week administratively through the conference office.

The exact rule addressing visors under American football playing rules [NCAA & NFHS] are:

NCAA FOOTBALL RULE 1-4-5-s
Illegal Equipment:
ARTICLE 5. No player wearing illegal equipment shall be permitted to play. Any question as to the legality of a player抯 equipment shall be decided by the umpire. Illegal equipment includes the following:
...
s. Eye shields that are not clear or made from molded or rigid material. Note: No player wearing illegal equipment shall be permitted to play. If illegal equipment is discovered by an official, the team shall be charged a team timeout.  

National Federation of High School football Rule 1-5-3-n the rule is the same as the NCAA's.  The eyeshield must be a molded rigid material that is 100% translucent without any color or tinting.

Hope this answers your question,

Vic Winnek
NCAA Football Official

PS: the rule applies to all divisions of NCAA Football.  I believe the photo you refer to was taken in 2005.  The rule at that time allowed tinting to a visor if there was a doctor's prescription for a tinted visor and the NCAA had approved the prescription.  The rule has changed.  In 2006 and 2007 No tinting was permitted.  A doctor's note or prescription would not make a tinted visor acceptable equipment.  The reason for prohibiting a tinted visor came from the recommendation from the sports medicine community to the NCAA to make any tinting of a visor/eye shield illegal equipment.  The rationale is that medical personnel can not make a proper or accurate assessment of head injuries & eye injuries when viewing the pupils reactivity to light through a tinted eye shield.  Further a tinted eyeshield would need to be removed to assess a concussion or head injury and the risk to the cervical spine or brain in removing the eyeshield is too great a risk.  The medical community argues that the benefit of a clear eyeshield to protect the eyes and face is proper and a benefit to player's safety but the tinting creates a problem in the evaluation of eye and head injuries and therefore recommends the eyeshield / visor be permitted as legal equipment but a tinted one be deemed illegal equipment.  The medical community advised the NCAA rules committee that if tinting is required for a medical condition then the therapeutic remedy could be achieved by dark or tinted glasses, goggles or contact lens thus making the need for a tinted visor un necessary.  The medical community further argued that it could safely and easily remove glasses, contact lens or goggles without jeopardizing or compromising a spinal or brain injury.

To answer your original question tinted visors are not permitted by rule.  The poster of the Pac-10 player (Oregon) you indirectly referenceto pre-dated the strict prohibition.