“Recently, a 14 year old player on my grandson’s football team was suspended from the league due to unsportsmanlike conduct. After repeatedly being punched, pinched and bitten with no action by the football officials, he finally had enough and retaliated. At the meeting at which his punishment was to be decided, he was not allowed into the meeting, he was as a result not allowed to speak in his defense or show evidence of personal physical injuries that he suffered before he defended himself. His Coaches also were thrown out of the meeting. Does our team have legal standing to challenge this decision? The website for the league is www.gcmfl.net. A copy of the league’s by-laws and playing rules can be found there.”

From a cursory review of the by-laws, it’s not clear whether the league followed its established rules for handling the situation. For example, there only seems to be a discussion of “banning” and doesn’t even discuss suspensions. It’s also not clear what recourse the boy might have had against the faulty officiating. You could certainly engage an attorney who can delve more deeply into the rules and determine whether the process violated the league’s promises. The boy may have a cause of action against the officials for failure to protect him as they are required to do, not to mention against the opposing team members who may have committed illegal battery. Your best bet is to contact a lawyer in your area (try calling your local or state bar association for a referral). A few phone calls from the attorney could get the attention of the league and make them take this situation a little more seriously.