June 22, 2006
Does Browns QB Charlie Frye Need An Ohio Boater Safety Education Card?
They may teach a lot about football playbooks, negotiating player contracts and avoiding high risk activities and the nuances of opposing teams, but one thing the National Football League doesn’t teach its rookies and other young players in Ohio is that if they plan to operate a boat powered by an engine of more than ten horsepower, they likely will need first to complete an approved boater safety education course.
The question arose casually several days ago among organizers of the Alum Creek Boating and Fishing Festival when it was noted that the Browns starting second-year quarterback was looking to rent a large boat for use soon on Lake Erie and a getaway to the privately-owned Rattlesnake Island in Lake Erie’s western basin. Is the Browns young quarterback covered under Ohio’s mandatory boating education law and would he first need to show proof of having a boater education card before renting that boat on Lake Erie?
Ohio’s law, which became effective in 2000, essentially requires anyone born on or after January 1, 1982, to successfully complete a boater safety education course that is approved by the National Association of State Law Administrators before they can legally operate any watercraft that is powered by an engine greater than ten horsepower. It effectively applies to anyone who has not yet reached the age of 25 by January 1 and it covers boat rentals.
Frye celebrates his 25th birthday this year on August 28, thus escaping Ohio’s mandatory boater education law requirement by the length of a NFL football season, or about four months. In checking the Browns player roster, the mandatory boater education law effects 41 players, mostly rookies and second-year players, but does include tight end Kellen Winslow, receiver Braylon Edwards, quarterbacks Derek Anderson, and rookie Dustin Almond.
A check of the Cincinnati Bengals roster found 33 players who also would need to show proof of having completed an approved boater safety education course and includes third-year defensive linemen Matthias Askew and Robert Geathers, second-year receivers Chris Henry and Tab Perry, and all of the rookie class.
When looking at athletes and other young adults, anyone who was born on or after January 1, 1982, falls under the requirements of the mandatory boater education law.
Certainly in light of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Rothlesberger being cited for failure to be properly licensed while operating a motorcycle and his failure to wear a helmet citation that resulted from his recent accident, there are a number of prominent professional and amateur athletes along with many other young people who should be taking an approved boater safety education course if they are going to operate powerboats and personal watercraft. Obviously the same holds true if they are going to operate jet-power personal watercraft and motorcycles.
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