THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 1, 1994 TAG: 9409010708
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARC DAVIS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 76 lines
Lorenzo Thompson, the 19-year-old football player who is challenging the Virginia High School League's age limit, won't play in Granby High's first two games.
A federal judge ruled Wednesday that Thompson cannot play while his lawsuit is pending, but he can continue to practicing with the team.
Granby's first game is Friday afternoon against Wilson. Thompson's trial is set for Sept. 13.
Thompson had asked the judge for a temporary injunction to let him play in Granby's first two games before the trial.
But in his ruling Wednesday, District Judge Robert G. Doumar said that Thompson's chances for a college scholarship won't be hurt if he misses the first two games of Granby's 10-game season. Thompson's attorneys had argued that the teenager would be ``irreparably harmed'' if he couldn't play those games.
Doumar ordered that Thompson's name be placed on the school's eligibility list, so the teenager can keep practicing with the team and maintain his insurance protection.
``Little harm can result from a continuation of the status quo,'' Doumar wrote.
Thompson, Granby's leading
scorer last season, is ineligible this year because he turned 19 in May. The VHSL bars students who turn 19 before Oct. 1.
The league says it needs this rule to protect younger students' safety and ensure equity among teams. Thompson's attorneys, however, say the age limit is arbitrary and applied inconsistently.
In a 17-page order and opinion, Doumar wrote that safety is not a factor in this case because Thompson is just 5-foot-11 and 172 pounds. The judge also wrote that he is ``somewhat sympathetic'' to the need for an age limit, but the fact that the league has waived the rule for some students ``somewhat undercuts'' its validity.
In fact, Doumar ordered that a subcommittee of the league's executive committee be ready to meet in his courtroom on Sept. 13, the day of Thompson's trial, in case Doumar orders it to reconsider Thompson's waiver request.
Thompson's attorney said the ruling is more a victory than a loss.
``Obviously we're glad Lorenzo is still on the football team,'' attorney Lawrence H. Woodward Jr. said. ``We're disappointed he won't be able to play in the first couple of games.''
Woodward said he was encouraged by Doumar's remarks on how the league grants age waivers. ``That committee has no standard for waivers,'' he said. ``They just do it however they feel, day by day.''
The league's attorney and its executive director could not be reached for comment Wednesday. Doumar's ruling came late Wednesday afternoon.
Thompson is over the league's age limit because his mother held him back twice, in first and third grades, so he could learn to read. He applied for an age waiver but was turned down three times: by the league's district council, the executive committee and the appeals board.
He claims the league violated his rights to equal protection and due process.
For a while, it appeared Doumar might not let the case proceed. Earlier this month, he questioned whether the case belonged in federal court. And at a hearing Monday, he said he is reluctant to intervene.
``You are talking to someone who believes the school administration should be run by the school administrators, not the courts,'' Doumar said.
The judge also tried to put the case in perspective. High schools do not exist to train athletes, he said at Monday's hearing. High school ``is not a recreational facility; it is a learning institution. It is an institution to prepare one for life,'' the judge said. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Lorenzo Thompson, 19, is challenging the state's age limit, which
bars him from playing high school football.
by CNB