Grounded

James ruled ineligible for accepting free clothing

LeBron James accepted two throwback jerseys valued at $845 dollars as a gift from a clothing store. AP

CLEVELAND (AP) -- LeBron James was ruled ineligible to play for the rest of the season because he accepted free sports jerseys, bringing a sudden end to the basketball star's celebrated high school career.

The decision Friday by Ohio High School Athletic Association commissioner Clair Muscaro came four days after James, a senior at Akron's St. Vincent-St. Mary, was cleared for accepting a $50,000 sports utility vehicle from his mother.

Last Saturday, James was given two retro sports jerseys -- valued at $845 -- for free from a clothing store, the OHSAA said. The trendy jerseys were replicas of those worn by former Chicago Bears running back Gale Sayers and Washington Bullets center Wes Unseld.

Muscaro's ruling means St. Vincent-St. Mary, must forfeit Sunday's win over Akron Buchtel, dropping its record to 13-1. The Fighting Irish, ranked No. 1 by USA Today, have five games left in the season, plus state playoff games.

SI's Marty Burns LeBron James’ high school career might be over, but it won’t affect his NBA future. In fact, one Western Conference GM joked that he already received calls from media asking whether James could be signed to a 10-day contract. The answer, of course, is no. NBA rules do not allow teams to sign players whose high school class has not yet graduated. Thus, James will have to wait until the June Draft. But when that day arrives, he will still likely be the No. 1 overall player selected. The Ohio school system’s decision to disqualify James for accepting illegal gifts -- a decision James says he intends to appeal -- is not going to change the way NBA teams view him. After all, the league is full of players who accepted such toys and trinkets. The only difference here is that James got caught.

James can appeal the decision in writing. Gloria James said through attorney Fred Nance that the family was "deeply disappointed" with the ruling and was evaluating its options.

"We're going to abide by the ruling," said coach Dru Joyce, who said he could not comment on a possible appeal. "We think that maybe there are some facts, that I don't know what they are, that could change things. But the bottom line is, that we're moving on as a team."

As Joyce spoke outside the school's gym, passengers in cars driving by shouted, "Leave LeBron alone!" and "It's all your fault!"

James' now-famous Hummer was moved after the news briefing, and it was unclear whether the 18-year old star was picked up or still in the building.

Even if James doesn't play another high school game, the ruling has no bearing on his future as a professional. The 6-foot-8, 240-pound player is considered the best prep player in the country and is expected to be the No. 1 selection in June's NBA draft.

Although he hasn't officially declared himself eligible for the draft, Friday's ruling might prohibit him from playing in college because of NCAA rules.

LeBron James' Timeline   Dec. 12 -- Scores 31 points to lead St. Vincent-St. Mary to 65-45 upset of nation's top-ranked team, Oak Hill. (More) Jan. 12 -- Became target of state inquiry into how his $50,000 Hummer H2 was financed. (More) Jan 14 -- Scored school-record 50 points after jokingly playing with a toy Hummer H2 before game. (More) Jan. 15 -- Gloria James provides documentation for purchase of Hummer for her son. (More) Jan 20 -- Scored 32 points in front of a record 15,000 fans in Greensboro. (More) Jan. 24 -- Scored 30 points in final home game. (More) Jan 27 -- Cleared in his state inquiry about his Hummer H2. (More) Jan 30 -- Investigated by Ohio officials for accepting free sports jerseys. (More) Jan. 31 -- Declared ineligible for accepting free sports jerseys.

"There could be possible eligibility ramifications with his participation in an NCAA school," said Bill Saum, a director in the NCAA's enforcement department. "The broad scope is, an athlete may not receive a benefit because of his athletic talent. We would have to see in our investigation if that's why he received these jerseys."

Muscaro reviewed a report that James received the jerseys at "Next Urban Gear and Music" in exchange for posing for pictures to be hung on the store's walls.

The association's rules say an athlete forfeits amateur status by "capitalizing on athletic fame by receiving money or gifts of monetary value."

"In talking with the store's personnel, I was able to confirm that on Jan. 25, the merchant gave clothing directly to LeBron at no cost," Muscaro said. "This is a direct violation of the OHSAA bylaws on amateurism, because, in fact, LeBron did capitalize on athletic fame by receiving these gifts."

Robert Rosenthal, the store's owner, declined comment.

Muscaro said he asked school administrators at St. Vincent-St. Mary on Friday for a chance to speak with James.

"But LeBron did not want to speak with me," said Muscaro, who added in his 14 years as commissioner, he had never invoked the rule to declare an athlete ineligible.

SI's Grant Wahl About a month ago, after spending some time with LeBron, I started feeling that it wouldn’t be a bad thing if he stopped playing high school basketball. High school basketball is not equipped to handle something like this. LeBron, hype-wise, is way bigger than anyone in college basketball. To expect that high school sports could handle something like all of this is foolhardy. • FULL STORY

Gloria James disputed Muscaro's account that he tried to contact her son.

"In fact, none of us was even notified by OHSAA that an investigation was under way, much less permitted to provide any information," her statement said. "We do not understand how this could be considered a fair process."

James was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated as a junior, dubbed "The Chosen One" by the magazine. James' popularity forced school officials to move his home games from the school to the 5,900-seat Rhodes Arena at Akron University.

The school also scheduled games around the country, so James and his teammates could face quality opponents in NBA-sized arenas in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Greensboro, N.C. James attracted near sellouts in those venues.

Nike and Adidas have been waging an off-court war for James, who was projected to earn up to $20 million for an endorsement deal. OHSAA spokesman Bob Goldring said that because James is no longer an amateur, he would be free to sign deals.

Goldring said the OHSAA is not investigating James or the school for any other infractions. St. Vincent-St. Mary plays Canton McKinley on Sunday.

OHSAA amateur rules The Ohio High School Athletic Association based its decision on James breaking bylaw 4-10-1 (c), which states: "An amateur loses his or her amateur status by capitalizing on athletic fame by receiving money or gifts of monetary value." James now has the following options: • James can appeal the ruling by submitting an appeal in writing to the OHSAA. • The appeal would be heard by a state board of control, a panel of seven school administrators. • The board would have to determine if OHSAA commissioner Clair Muscaro misinterpreted the bylaws in ruling James ineligible.

Muscaro was concerned that critics would think the OHSAA was giving James preferential treatment if he had not ruled him ineligible.

"Naturally, LeBron is talented and he's noted nationally and internationally, but as far as this association is concerned, we will treat him the same as all our other athletes," he said.

Muscaro said his ruling was not an accumulation of evidence, and it was specific to James receiving the two jerseys.

Sayers' blue No. 40 Bears jersey, and Unseld's red-white-and-blue striped No. 41, are two of the oversized throwback jerseys popular with pro athletes who can afford to buy them.

James refused to comment about the jerseys Thursday night at the Greater Cleveland Sports Awards. However, he did allude to "all the controversy that's going on with me" during his acceptance speech after being named the area's top high school athlete for the second straight year.

"I'd like to thank my teammates for helping me through all this," he said. "It will be in the paper, but remember I'm on the honor roll with a 3.5 grade-point average."

On Monday, Muscaro ruled that James would not lose his eligibility for accepting a custom-made Hummer H2 vehicle -- valued at about $50,000 -- as an 18th birthday gift from his mother.

Gloria James provided loan information to support her purchase.

 

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