John Corn
02-06-03, 05:05 AM
http://espn.go.com/nba/news/2003/0205/1504308.html
AKRON, Ohio -- LeBron James was cleared to play Wednesday by a judge who blocked a state ruling that stripped the high school basketball star of his eligibility.
James was ordered to serve a two-game suspension, which includes the one game he already missed. James can rejoin his team but must sit out one more game, Summit County Judge James Williams ruled. St. Vincent-St. Mary has four games left before the playoffs, and the school can decide which game James will miss.
The senior already missed one game after the Ohio High School Athletic Association declared him ineligible for accepting two free sports jerseys worth a total of $845.
Lawyers for the athletic association and James presented their arguments to the judge during a one-hour hearing.
Williams ordered the school to tell James by noon Thursday which game he will miss. The judge scheduled a preliminary hearing for Feb. 19, when he will decide whether to grant a permanent injunction or go to trial.
"Neither side is going to be happy,'' Williams said. "There are a number of issues the court wants to hear.''
James, who is expected to be the No. 1 pick in this year's NBA draft, and his team were scheduled to play Saturday in Trenton, N.J.
Three of the team's remaining regular-season games are before the next hearing.
James did not attend Wednesday's hearing. OHSAA commissioner Clair Muscaro attended but did not immediately comment on the ruling.
James' attorney, Fred Nance, argued in court documents filed Tuesday that the 6-foot-8 star player did nothing wrong when he accepted two retro jerseys from the owner of a Cleveland clothing store.
"All LeBron did was receive a gift from a friend as congratulations for his academic achievements,'' Nance said. "Had LeBron wished to capitalize on his fame, the recompense could be in the millions of dollars.''
James has said he returned the jerseys.
The OHSAA found that the store gave James the Gale Sayers and Wes Unseld jerseys in exchange for posing for pictures to be displayed on its walls.
Muscaro ruled that James broke an amateur bylaw "by capitalizing on athletic fame by receiving money or gifts of monetary value.''
AKRON, Ohio -- LeBron James was cleared to play Wednesday by a judge who blocked a state ruling that stripped the high school basketball star of his eligibility.
James was ordered to serve a two-game suspension, which includes the one game he already missed. James can rejoin his team but must sit out one more game, Summit County Judge James Williams ruled. St. Vincent-St. Mary has four games left before the playoffs, and the school can decide which game James will miss.
The senior already missed one game after the Ohio High School Athletic Association declared him ineligible for accepting two free sports jerseys worth a total of $845.
Lawyers for the athletic association and James presented their arguments to the judge during a one-hour hearing.
Williams ordered the school to tell James by noon Thursday which game he will miss. The judge scheduled a preliminary hearing for Feb. 19, when he will decide whether to grant a permanent injunction or go to trial.
"Neither side is going to be happy,'' Williams said. "There are a number of issues the court wants to hear.''
James, who is expected to be the No. 1 pick in this year's NBA draft, and his team were scheduled to play Saturday in Trenton, N.J.
Three of the team's remaining regular-season games are before the next hearing.
James did not attend Wednesday's hearing. OHSAA commissioner Clair Muscaro attended but did not immediately comment on the ruling.
James' attorney, Fred Nance, argued in court documents filed Tuesday that the 6-foot-8 star player did nothing wrong when he accepted two retro jerseys from the owner of a Cleveland clothing store.
"All LeBron did was receive a gift from a friend as congratulations for his academic achievements,'' Nance said. "Had LeBron wished to capitalize on his fame, the recompense could be in the millions of dollars.''
James has said he returned the jerseys.
The OHSAA found that the store gave James the Gale Sayers and Wes Unseld jerseys in exchange for posing for pictures to be displayed on its walls.
Muscaro ruled that James broke an amateur bylaw "by capitalizing on athletic fame by receiving money or gifts of monetary value.''