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Jackie Robinson West Files Lawsuit Against Little League International

By Jim Bochnowski in News on Jun 24, 2015 6:30PM

Jackie Robinson West has filed a lawsuit against Little League International over its decision to strip the team of its championship title last year.

The team, which won the national Little League championship in 2014, was stripped of its title after a Little League investigation showed that the team used players who lived outside of JRW's officially sanctioned boundaries. This investigation was spurred by repeated complaints from a rival team's coach about how JRW used ineligible players.

Today, JRW officials and lawyers released a mammoth, 100-page report documenting the team's correspondence with Little League International, the sport's governing body. The report includes emails, letters, maps and other documentation that shows the team was given "support and approval to play several times before it won the championship," according to the Chicago Tribune.

In a statement, Glenn Harston II, a spokesman for the team, said Little League allowed JRW to play even after the league knew there were boundary issues:

"Our investigation will show that Little League knew there were boundary issues before they made their decision and they still allowed Jackie Robinson West to participate in the games and post-championship activities. They did it when it was to their benefit and while the team was popular. Later, Little League International framed the conversation as if Jackie Robinson West did things underhanded and tried to cheat the system. Our investigation shows that that is not the case."

The report goes on to mention that the team's lawyers requested additional documentation from Little League International regarding their decision to strip the team of its championship. The document alleges that the organization refused to comply:

"Given the refusal by Little League to meet with JRW, its failure to provide notice and the opportunity to be heard, and its refusal to be transparent and provide material information regarding its decision to strip JRW of the title, JRW was compelled to file suit."

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday, is an effort to get Little League International to "provide the information it would not voluntarily disclose," according to NBC.

DNAInfo, which extensively reported extensively on the case and helped bring it to light, says JRW officials barred their reporters from attending a press event announcing the results of this investigation.

The team announced earlier this year that they would be leaving Little League International and would instead be playing as part of the Cal Ripken Baseball Division's Babe Ruth League.