|
|
Wednesday, September 6
Justice refuses to keep Lindland off team
Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- Rejecting an emergency request by the U.S.
Olympic Committee, a Supreme Court justice refused to keep
Greco-Roman wrestler Matt Lindland off the American team, soon to
leave for the Sydney Games.
Justice John Paul Stevens, acting without comment Wednesday,
left intact court rulings that forced the USOC to reinstate
Lindland. Committee members sought to keep Keith Sieracki on the
team instead.
Lindland, a former University of Nebraska wrestling coach,
dropped a 2-1 referee's decision to Sieracki, a military police
sergeant, at the Olympic trials in Dallas on June 23. But Lindland
contended he was illegally tripped by Sieracki and took the case to
arbitration. The arbitrator ordered a rematch, in which Lindland
defeated Sieracki, 8-0.
When the USOC balked at making a roster change, Lindland asked a
federal trial judge to declare his right to join the U.S. team.
U.S. District Judge James B. Zagel in Chicago ordered the
committee to contact the International Olympic Committee and tell
it to change the U.S. roster so Lindland could participate as its
167½-pound member.
A three-judge panel of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
upheld the judge's order last Friday.
Meanwhile, Sieracki took things into his own hands. He has
called the USOC's attention to a videotape of the 2-1 match that
appears to show Lindland biting him on the ear.
Though not conclusive, the tape shows Lindland making a
deliberate move toward Sieracki's right ear as the two wrestlers
jostle for leverage. Sieracki immediately jumps back in protest,
and close-up footage showed a small amount of blood coming from the
ear.
Wednesday, Lindland denied biting Sieracki's ear.
"I absolutely didn't bite anybody," Lindland said in a phone
interview as he signed autographs at a Vancouver, Wash., car
dealership, which is sponsoring him. "If you watch the match, you
can see why I protested. We focused on the trip, because that was
so clear and so obvious. If you watch the whole match, it's very
clear that was officiated wrong."
Lindland moved with his family to Milwaukie, Ore., Saturday.
"For them to say I won this in the courts is ludicrous. I more
than won this on the mat," he said. "I feel bad that we had to go
to court to enforce (the USOC's) own policies and procedures,
because we did everything right.
"I'm really happy to be on the Olympic team, but my goal is to
get a medal, not just be on the team. I'm prepared. I've been
planning on going no matter what."
In seeking help from Stevens, who handles emergency matters from
Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin for the nation's highest court,
lawyers for the USOC said the case "presents the question of who
is empowered to choose the athlete who will represent the United
States ... the United States Olympic Committee or the (7th) U.S.
Circuit Court of Appeals."
Lawyers for Lindland said the emergency request should be
rejected. They accused the USOC of ignoring its own rules for
selecting team members.
The U.S. wrestling team is scheduled to leave for Australia on
Friday. The Olympics will begin Sept. 15.
|  | |
|