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WIAA, St. Thomas More agreement reached after basketball fight suit
In March, the St. Thomas More High School basketball team got suspended. On Tuesday, the president of St. Thomas More confirmed they reached an agreement with the WIAA after they sued the high school sports governing body to keep their tournament hopes alive.
MILWAUKEE - What started as a fight on the basketball court has been resolved seven months after it ended up in the court of law.
On Tuesday, Oct. 18, the president of St. Thomas More confirmed they reached an agreement with the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletics Association.
It comes after the school sued the WIAA in March, when the WIAA suspended its basketball team because of a fight during a game.
"I spent 11 and a half to 12 hours reviewing the tape of the incident frame by frame, forward, backward, slow motion," said Gregg Owens, Metro Classic Conference commissioner.
St. Thomas More plays in the Metro Classic Conference.
Members of St. Thomas More High School Cavaliers varsity boys basketball team involved in fight
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"I never felt personally again that the student-athletes at St. Thomas More should’ve been punished in any way shape or form," said Owens.
St. Thomas More sued the WIAA over the suspensions, and a judge issued a temporary order allowing the team to play.
The St. Thomas More Cavaliers won three more games before losing in the state semi-finals.
That ended their time on the basketball court but not proceedings in court.
Now about seven months since the lawsuit began, St. Thomas More’s president John Hoch told FOX6 he's pleased they've reached an agreement with the WIAA.
"We are happy that the incident is behind us, and we look forward to working with them going forward," Hoch said in a statement. At this time, he said he couldn’t elaborate on what exactly the agreement entailed or if his school will face any penalties.
Members of St. Thomas More High School Cavaliers varsity boys basketball team involved in fight
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"I think it played out in such a way that made the outcome fair to all parties involved," said Owens. "There were a lot of lessons learned by everybody, the student-athletes, the coaches, the officials, the WIAA."
Some, like Barry Mano, president of the National Association of Sports Officials, worry this case will teach people the wrong lesson.
"People look at this and say, ‘Gee, I’m a parent, and I feel I’m aggrieved for my team and so I’m going to go pull that judicial lever.’"
Both Mano and Owens agreed this legal case could change the game for high school sports in general.
"I think it’s going to pave the way for really great things," said Owens.
Thomas More basketball players huddle prior to court appearance
"It’s a slippery slope to go down this road, and it’s not good," said Mano. "It’s not good for organized sports."
For the most part, it’s rare to see lawsuits like this in high school sports, but it’s something we have seen before in Wisconsin.
In 2019, a judge granted a temporary injunction that let a dejected wrestler compete and go on to take a state title, though he was eventually stripped of that title when the WIAA won that case.
As for the St. Thomas More case, the WIAA said their policy is to not share details of their member schools’ lawsuits. The WIAA also would not answer if St. Thomas More will face any sort of penalties.