There’s long been some discussion and debate about jewelry in sports, and that sometimes leads to officials asking athletes to cover exposed jewelry with a bandage or remove it before a game. However, it’s quite unusual to see that happen in the middle of a high-stakes game. That’s what happened during the Notre Dame Fighting Irish women’s basketball Sweet 16 clash with the Oregon State Beavers Friday, though, with star Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo sent to the bench for trainers to remove her diamond nose stud partway through the first half:
Unusual moment in the Oregon State – Notre Dame game, where Holly Rowe delivered a sideline report on Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo being told to take her nose ring out mid-game. pic.twitter.com/cL171NRJlC
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 29, 2024
This produced a lot of discussion and criticism, especially with this taking a protracted amount of time during a key part of the game. And it came amidst talk that Hidalgo had worn this stud all season with a bandage covering it without a problem. Here’s some of that discussion:
Hidalgo is back at the scorer's table and it seems like she will enter once play resumes, but she just sat 4:09 as trainers tried to take her nose ring out. https://t.co/8uu7PWu1gj
— Ben Pickman (@benpickman) March 29, 2024
Notre Dame doesn’t have their best player on the floor because we can’t get her nose ring out. You can’t make this up folks.
— Kelly Gramlich (@kellygramlich) March 29, 2024
She’s been wearing it all year with a bandage over it but today, the refs made her remove it… mid game!
— Kelly Gramlich (@kellygramlich) March 29, 2024
It’s also like not safe you could get an infection in that environment if it’s not done by someone with a lot of piercing experience https://t.co/SGXhTVCg7V
— marisa ingemi ✨ (@Marisa_Ingemi) March 29, 2024
Didn’t realize the FIA ran women’s basketball
— Jessica Smetana (@jessica_smetana) March 29, 2024
If Hannah could cover the nose ring with a bandaid all season why is this an issue today?
— LaChina Robinson (@LaChinaRobinson) March 29, 2024
This really was the wildest things. Why of all days today, did they decide to make the nose ring an issue?????
She's been dawning the nose ring? C'mon. https://t.co/uVYhPxrakD
— Kelsey Nicole Nelson (KNN) (@therealknelson) March 29, 2024
The nose ring rule being enforced in the last few games of the entire season is pretty on par with how inconsistent these refs have been all year long.
— Camille Buxeda (@CamilleBuxeda) March 29, 2024
There’s no way that second quarter nose ring situation didn’t throw 19 year old Hannah Hidalgo off, which as an enjoyer of basketball is so frustrating to me
— Claire Watkins (@ScoutRipley) March 29, 2024
It does seem bizarre for this to be accepted for most of the season, and not pointed out as a problem pregame, only for the officials to take issue with it during an important moment. That meant they took one of Notre Dame’s top players off the floor for an extended period of time.
Hidalgo, a freshman from Haddonfield, New Jersey, was averaging 22.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 4.6 steals in 36 minutes per game across 34 games to this point of the season. In this game, she only had 10 points and four rebounds on four-of-17 shooting. And this came in a close game, too; Oregon State led 32-31 at the half, 53-50 after three quarters, and eventually won 70-65. Expect to see lots more nose ring discussion after this game.
Update: Here’s a photo after Notre Dame’s Dec. 17, 2023 game against the Purdue Boilermakers showing just how small the stud in question is.
Here’s the statement provided to a pool reporter on the decision afterwards:
Here’s a statement from the NCAA on Hannah Hildago’s nose piercing removal mid-game that we just received… pic.twitter.com/SQVwrHgYvU
— Isis “Ice” Young (@IceYoung23) March 29, 2024
The statement cites a rule banning “jewelry,” notes that players found wearing jewelry are required to leave and not return until it’s removed, and adds a note that clear piercing retainers are allowed. So the actions here certainly were by the letter of the rule. But it is curious why this wasn’t enforced all year and then was in the Sweet 16.
[Awful Announcing on Twitter/X]