Jackie Robinson West Attorney: Lawsuit Is Premature Over Stripped Title
Updated 02/12/15 - 2:45 p.m.
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Rev. Jesse Jackson earlier said parents of Jackie Robinson West players would sue Little League International over the decision to strip the team of its national title, but an attorney for the team said it's too early to know if a lawsuit is warranted.
Thursday morning, Jackson said parents would be suing to reverse the decision by Little League International to vacate Jackie Robinson West's wins from 2014, for allegedly violating residency rules.
Later Thursday, however, Jackson was in attendance at a news conference where attorney Victor Henderson said he wanted to gather all the facts about the allegations against the team, and the investigation by Little League International, before deciding whether to file a lawsuit.
Attorney Not Ready To File Lawsuit In JRW Dispute
Henderson said the team has not yet received any details from Little League International explaining why it is being stripped of its title. He wants to look into other cases of Little League teams allegedly violating residency requirements to find out if they faced similar punishment, so he can determine if Jackie Robinson West was treated fairly.
He also said threatening a lawsuit would be nothing more than "saber-rattling," and "no lawyer worth his salt" would threaten to file a lawsuit without knowing all the facts of the case.
Little League International has stripped Jackie Robinson West of its U.S. title, and awarded it to the Las Vegas team Jackie Robinson West defeated in the Little League World Series.
Jackson has said the players were unfairly reprimanded, and that the investigation and punishment of the team was racially motivated.
Thursday morning, Jackson said a potential lawsuit would seek "justice and clarity."
"To find out who is charged with what. The penalty appears to be too harsh, even for the allegation. If there is an allegation that someone did something wrong, then whoever did the wrongdoing must be addressed," he added.
Jackie Robinson West is the first all-black team to win the national Little League title.
Little League officials have said team officials purposely redrew the team's official boundaries in order to pick up a couple key players who were ineligible to play on JRW's all-star squad in tournament play.
The players' families have said they didn't know the league's boundaries when they signed up, and there is no proof JRW cheated.
"This isn't teaching our children any type of lesson, except for you can be punished for something that you had no part on; and what lesson is that?" said Venisa Green, whose son Brandon was a pitcher and catcher on the squad.
JRW parents said they stand behind manager Darold Butler – who has been suspended by Little League officials.
