Officials disqualified a high school swimmer in New Jersey over the size of their swim cap.
The cap, which had the American flag across it to honor the swimmer’s late father who tragically died in the September 11 attacks, was deemed 0.2 inches too big according to Rob Miller, a native of New Jersey. Because of this, the swimmer was disqualified and lost the 200m freestyle relay race.
According to Fox News, “A high school swimmer was disqualified from a race after the American flag patch he donned on his cap was ruled to be 0.2 inches too large, according to the swimmer’s father. Rob Miller said that his son, a 16-year-old sophomore at Morristown High School in New Jersey, had worn the patch in honor of his grandfather, who died in the Sept. 11 attacks in New York.”
Miller provided a first-hand account of the situation on social media.
https://www.twitter.com/robmillertime/status/1621294489099698177
Miller elaborated on how often the swimmer wears the cap. “One more thing b/c people are asking. He usually wears the team cap or another colored one inside out, no logo/flag. The one time he wears this in a meet and the coach DQ’d him. Unreal luck,” Miller tweeted.
https://www.twitter.com/robmillertime/status/1621599580205842434
Miller later guessed that perhaps the flag could be viewed as a ‘political statement,’ although it’s obviously unclear. Rules do specifically state the measurement requirements for a flag on caps.
About Chris Novak
Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022