Last week information was presented to Little League International officials regarding possible violations surrounding the 2014 United States champions, Chicago's Jackie Robinson West team. On Wednesday morning the officials made a ruling after conducting an investigation.
Little League Baseball stripped the 2014 U.S. champions of their title this morning for violating player rules. Groups from neighboring areas in Chicago accused Jackie Robinson West officials of using players outside of the team's geographic area, after which Little League officials found that the team indeed used a falsified boundary map to claim players that otherwise wouldn't have been allowed to play for them.
Concerns of authenticated residences arose in December, but Little League officials said they found no evidence of a violation and would revisit the investigation if new evidence was presented.
On Tuesday, Little League spokesman Brian McClintock told the Chicago Tribune:
"Little League International is in the final stages of reviewing all information relating to the concerns raised in Illinois District 4. Our Charter Committee (met Tuesday) in Williamsport to discuss possible resolutions. A final decision will be made shortly."
That decision came this morning and the organization awarded the U.S. title to Mountain Ridge Little League from Las Vegas (who lost to Jackie Robinson West in the U.S. finals), suspended Jackie Robinson West manager Darold Butler and removed Illinois District 4 Administrator Michael Kelly from his position. The team will also vacate the rest of their wins from the 2014 tournament.
According to the Washington Post, "All of the presidents in Chicago's District 4 league, which included the Jackie Robinson West organization, agreed on 'clearly defined' boundaries in 2013."
The Jackie Robinson West team made headlines last summer because they were the first all-African-American team to win the Little League United States championship. They faced South Korea in the Little League World Series final, but lost 8-4. Nonetheless, their achievement was highly publicized and they even traveled to the White House to meet President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.
"For more than 75 years, Little League has been an organization where fair play is valued over the importance of wins and losses," said Mr. Stephen D. Keener, Little League International President and CEO, in a statement. "This is a heartbreaking decision. What these players accomplished on the field and the memories and lessons they have learned during the Little League World Series tournament is something the kids can be proud of, but it is unfortunate that the actions of adults have led to this outcome."
The last such incident involving player violations occurred in 2001, when the famous Bronx, New York, team finished in third place behind the hard-throwing Danny Almonte, who was later found to be over the age requirements. They were also forced to forfeit all of their games.
