LeBron James has been benched for the rest of the
season at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron for accepting free "throwback" jerseys from a clothing store. Also, the unbeaten Irish team -- ranked
No. 1 in the Student Sports FAB 50 and other national
ratings -- will forfeit last Sunday's win over city
rival Buchtel.
Last Saturday, James was given two retro sports
jerseys valued at a combined $845 for free from a
clothing store for reportedly posing for pictures to
be hung on the walls of the store, "Next Urban Gear
and Music." The jerseys honored former Chicago Bears
running back Gayle Sayers and former Washington
Bullets center Wes Unseld.
OHSAA commissioner Clair Muscaro ruled James ineligible
and that the game the next day be forfeited vs.
Buchtel.
The state association rules say an athlete forfeits
amateur status by "capitalizing on athletic fame be
receiving money or gifts of monetary value."
Muscaro said, "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. This is a direct violation of the OHSAA bylaws
on amateurism, because, in fact, LeBron did capitalize
on athletic fame by receiving these gifts."
James, school officials and Irish coach Dru Joyce
were unavailable for comment.
The ineligibility ruling came four days after James
was cleared in another investigation involving a $50,000 sports utility vehicle given to him as an 18th birthday present from his mother.
St. Vincent-St. Mary is 14-0 on the court with five
regular season games left -- four vs. Ohio teams and one
in the PrimeTime Shootout in Trenton, N.J., on Feb.
8. The Irish also will be seeking a third state title
in four years in the postseason Ohio playoffs.
Friday's ruling also could impact the two major
postseason national all-star games -- the McDonald's
All-America game in Cleveland and the EA Classic in
Chicago, which earlier announced James had accepted an
invitation to play. Morgan Wootten, chairman of the McDonald's selection committee, confirmed that to play in the McDonald's All-America game, a player must be eligible by his state governing body. At thi time, James is not eligible.
The 6-foot-8 swingman was the Student Sports National
Player of the Year as a junior and is expected to be
the No. 1 selection in June's NBA draft.