THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, September 13, 1994 TAG: 9409130477
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 93 lines
The Virginia High School League's age rule and waiver policy go on trial today in U.S. District Court.
Lorenzo Thompson, four months and two weeks too old to play high school sports under VHSL guidelines, has challenged the age policy in an attempt to play his senior season at Granby High. He alleges that his chance to earn a football scholarship would be damaged if he can't play.
The VHSL's executive committee and board of appeals have denied appeals by Thompson.
Thompson, 19, repeated the first and third grades, resulting in his advanced age for a senior. The VHSL does not allow anyone turning 19 prior to Oct. 1 to play interscholastically.
The 5-foot-11, 172-pound Thompson was a first-team Eastern District linebacker last year and was a second-team All-Tidewater selection, as chosen by The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star.
Thompson's attorneys maintain that age-rule waivers have been granted in similar cases before. The VHSL's policy of granting waivers is what has landed this case in federal court under the premise that Thompson's civil rights have been violated.
According to Ken Tilley, VHSL executive director, 12 exemptions have been granted in the last 10 years, 10 by the VHSL's executive committee and two by its board of appeals.
``(The cases receiving waivers) were all different from Lorenzo's,'' Tilley said. ``The ones similar to his were all denied.''
A random survey of seven other state athletic associations - North Carolina, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia and Tennessee - indicates that Virginia's age rule is at the stiff end of the scale, but is not the stiffest.
In North Carolina, the cutoff date is Oct. 16. The most lenient state contacted was Pennsylvania, where students entering their senior year may turn 19 as early as July 2.
The waiver rules of the seven states varied from Tennessee, which allows no waivers, to Texas, which allows participation if an individual has been in high school three years or less and failed a special education or special federal handicap designation class.
Next year, the VHSL's age cutoff date will be pushed up to Aug. 1.
Thompson's case could have broad ramifications.
``I've been around a long time and (Thompson) may have a chance to win,'' said Bert Harrell, Lake Taylor football coach and athletic director. ``It's a travesty of justice if he does. You've got to keep men from playing with boys. I've got some 14-year-old freshmen on my team.
``I don't think you can have any exceptions to the rule. Last year I had three starters off an undefeated team walking the halls.''
Thompson's academic records became public knowledge when he sought a restraining order in an effort to play in Granby's first two games of the season, which already have been played. He is well below the NCAA's grade-point-average requirements for freshman eligibility and scored 510 on a Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test. The NCAA requires a minimum SAT score of 700 with a 2.5 grade-point average. A 2.0 grade average requires a 900 SAT score.
Although Thompson was kept back in school at an early age, there are concerns throughout the coaching ranks that should he win, there would be wholesale attempts at redshirting eighth-graders to allow them to mature another year before entering high school sports.
But Judge Robert Doumar addressed the matter in Thompson's restraining-order hearing, stating that he saw the differences in an athlete attempting to gain a competitive edge and an athlete who repeated the first and third grades.
The prevailing thought throughout the coaching ranks is that a more mature player has a competitive edge.
Western Branch athletic director Chris Ake said she has ``mixed feelings'' concerning the case.
``I do feel like there are some extenuating circumstances, but not his, necessarily,'' Ake said. ``You have to think of the safety of the kids.''
Attorneys for Thompson have challenged the fairness of the VHSL's executive committee, and Doumar ruled that ``a proper subcommittee of the executive committee'' is to convene in his courtroom at 2 p.m. today with the prospect of rehearing Thompson's appeal to play.
``The real deal is that the VHSL doesn't have any written or articulative standards for who gets an age waiver,'' said Tom Shuttleworth, one of Thompson's attorneys. ``It's catch as catch can. But one man's equity is another man's unfairness. It's like getting a speeding ticket when there's no posted speed.''
Another key point Thompson's side will contend is the selection of the executive committees for such hearings. Tilley is accorded a list of qualified individuals and contacts enough to formulate a jury for hearing rules appeals.
``The potential is there for stacking the deck,'' said Larry Woodward, co-counsel for Thompson. by CNB