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Arkansas mom files equal protection rights lawsuit over son getting cut from basketball team

May 9, 2012, 10:52 AM EDT

8 Comments
basketball_getty

When Teresa Bloodman’s freshman son was cut from the Maumelle High School basketball team recently, she did what any parent would do — she sued the school district and the state, claiming that her son has been deprived of the right “to a full and complete education.” Somebody’s got the full DVD box set of Law and Order, I see.

The lawsuit, filed in October of 2011 (no trial date so far), contends in part:

“…the deprivation of the right to a full and complete education which includes competition in sports and consequently athletic scholarships impairs John Doe of a property right guaranteed under both the U.S. and State Constitutions.”

Bloodman also points out her boy was dismissed when an additional tryout was held after football season, to let those players have a chance to make the basketball team. Bloodman says that’s a violation of equal protection rights, because it’s not the way the girl’s team is selected.

She also labels the lack of an appeal process for getting cut as a due process violation.

While I don’t think her case has any merit, she is right about one thing: choosing the team the way they did is a complete jerk move. According to Arkansas Matters, the coach picked 11 players, practiced with them for two months, and then held another tryout when players from the football team became available. Subsequently, nine of the original 11 were dropped from the team and replaced with football guys.

So the coach was just keeping 11 so he’d have enough bodies to practice and hold scrimmages, knowing he’d be cutting most of them eventually. That’s so wrong I don’t even know where to begin. The school should change its name to Buffalo Springs so it could put the letters BS on the gym.

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Ark. mother sues district, state for Constitutional violation after son cut from varsity team [Prep Rally]

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  1. Bryce - May 9, 2012 at 2:27 PM

    Well you’ve also got to have talent to be on a sports team anyway.

  2. planck16 - May 9, 2012 at 2:35 PM

    I know my high school did the same and it makes perfect sense. We also had 3 rounds of cuts.

    And weren’t Catolic Schools made for this exact reason?

    • Rick Chandler - May 9, 2012 at 5:55 PM

      Three rounds of cuts is fine, we had them when I coached HS basketball. But not over two months. Keeping a kid that long when you know he’s gone when football players arrive? Brutal. Wrong.

      • gibbstastic - May 10, 2012 at 2:34 AM

        That is only assuming the coach knew he was going to cut the 9 players prior to first cut. But if the other players are better after the 2nd cut, they get the spot.

        To me the real issue is the early first. However if the football team progressed through playoffs when tryouts were occuring, the coach would be wrong not to let them tryout after their season.

  3. planck16 - May 9, 2012 at 2:35 PM

    Sorry, Catholic

  4. originalbosfan1 - May 9, 2012 at 3:33 PM

    I didn’t get any action when I was in high school. I’m suing all the girls at my school for denying me my “right to a full and complete education.”

  5. mybrunoblog - May 9, 2012 at 3:47 PM

    Lawsuit is a bit much but sounds like the coach made a rule douche bag move…..Where is the school athletic director on this?

  6. skids003 - May 9, 2012 at 4:37 PM

    Can I sue since I wasn’t allowed to average 20 points a game? That’s next.

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