Yes, football rules say you have to have shoes and kneepads... but the kid has no feet or knees! How about a little common sense here.
Doesn't exist when "zero tolerance" comes into play.
Yes, exactly, common sense is what is needed...especially to those who scoff at the notion of the "spirit" of a rule or law, as opposed to the "letter" of the law.
When I was coaching varsity basketball, I knew some of the officials from highschool. They were the ones that were on the teams and NEVER played, well, except senior night and when there were really big leads. Now they get off on the authority of being an official. It goes without saying that they sucked as officials as much as they sucked when when they played in highschool. The official in question was probably jealous he was a bench warmer and this kid with no legs was playing in the game.
Okay, let's define common sense. Say the kid can play at the same level as his players? I say let him play. However, is anything changed by the game because of his participation (i.e. time to get on field, plays, etc)? If so, should the rest of the team be forced to accept and accomodate his handicaps all for inclusion?