James ruled ineligible to finish HS career
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ESPN.com news services
CLEVELAND -- High school basketball star LeBron James was ruled ineligible to play for the rest of the season because he accepted free clothes.
The decision Friday by the Ohio High School Athletic Association comes four days after James, a senior at St. Vincent-St. Mary, was cleared for accepting a $50,000 sport utility vehicle as a gift from his mother.
Last Saturday, James was given two retro sports jerseys from a clothing store. The jerseys, honoring former Chicago Bears running back Gale Sayers and former Washington Bullets center Wes Unseld, cost a combined $845.
James' school must forfeit Sunday's game, the association said in a news release.
The 6-foot-8 James is considered the best high school player in the country and is expected to be the top player selected in June's NBA draft.
Ohio High School Athletic Association bylaws state that an athlete forfeits his or her amateur status by "capitalizing on athletic fame by receiving money or gifts of monetary value."
More specifically, the OHSAA 2002-03 Athletic Eligibility Information Bulletin states in part that, "You may receive an award or merchandise as a result of your participation in school or non-school competition from any source, provided the value does not exceed $100 per award."
James refused to comment about the jerseys Thursday night at the Greater Cleveland Sports Awards; he was honored as the area's top high school athlete for the second straight year. He did allude to "all the controversy that's going on with me'' during his acceptance speech.
"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.''
Earlier this month, James drew attention in Akron by driving around a new custom-made Hummer H2, which he received as a present for his 18th birthday. His mother, Gloria James, provided loan information to prove she had purchased the vehicle.
On Monday, Muscaro ruled that James would not lose his eligibility for accepting the vehicle.
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,'' Muscaro said, adding that James is the first athlete he has declared ineligible in his 14 years as commissioner.
"I think this sends a message that we are all about fairness,'' Muscaro said. "LeBron is being treated like any one of the thousands of student-athletes in Ohio.''
Muscaro said his ruling addressed only the issue of James receiving the two jerseys.
"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.''
The Sayers jersey costs $395; the Unseld jersey, $450.
Store manager Derrick Craig said the store's owner gave the jerseys to James for free.
"We get celebrities in here all the time," said Craig, who would not identify the owner. "They spend a lot of money and sometimes you just got to give them some love."
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ESPN.com news services
CLEVELAND -- High school basketball star LeBron James was ruled ineligible to play for the rest of the season because he accepted free clothes.
The decision Friday by the Ohio High School Athletic Association comes four days after James, a senior at St. Vincent-St. Mary, was cleared for accepting a $50,000 sport utility vehicle as a gift from his mother.
Last Saturday, James was given two retro sports jerseys from a clothing store. The jerseys, honoring former Chicago Bears running back Gale Sayers and former Washington Bullets center Wes Unseld, cost a combined $845.
James' school must forfeit Sunday's game, the association said in a news release.
The 6-foot-8 James is considered the best high school player in the country and is expected to be the top player selected in June's NBA draft.
Ohio High School Athletic Association bylaws state that an athlete forfeits his or her amateur status by "capitalizing on athletic fame by receiving money or gifts of monetary value."
More specifically, the OHSAA 2002-03 Athletic Eligibility Information Bulletin states in part that, "You may receive an award or merchandise as a result of your participation in school or non-school competition from any source, provided the value does not exceed $100 per award."
James refused to comment about the jerseys Thursday night at the Greater Cleveland Sports Awards; he was honored as the area's top high school athlete for the second straight year. He did allude to "all the controversy that's going on with me'' during his acceptance speech.
"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.''
Earlier this month, James drew attention in Akron by driving around a new custom-made Hummer H2, which he received as a present for his 18th birthday. His mother, Gloria James, provided loan information to prove she had purchased the vehicle.
On Monday, Muscaro ruled that James would not lose his eligibility for accepting the vehicle.
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,'' Muscaro said, adding that James is the first athlete he has declared ineligible in his 14 years as commissioner.
"I think this sends a message that we are all about fairness,'' Muscaro said. "LeBron is being treated like any one of the thousands of student-athletes in Ohio.''
Muscaro said his ruling addressed only the issue of James receiving the two jerseys.
"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.''
The Sayers jersey costs $395; the Unseld jersey, $450.
Store manager Derrick Craig said the store's owner gave the jerseys to James for free.
"We get celebrities in here all the time," said Craig, who would not identify the owner. "They spend a lot of money and sometimes you just got to give them some love."
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.