Teen kicked off basketball team for hairstyle(stupid parents sues school district)

Yahoo! Sports ^ | Janurary 7, 2011 | Cameron Smith

[greatdefender]

George Steinbrenner famously refused to let Yankees players compete with any facial hair, or "unruly" haircuts. While those relatively manic standards were applied to professionals (extremely highly compensated professionals, at that), a similar measure is now being used to keep an eighth grader off his junior high basketball team.

According to a number of sources, the Indianapolis Star and Associated Press chief among them, the parents of a Greensburg (Ind.) Community Junior High School student have filed a lawsuit against the district citing discrimination against their son, who was kicked off the team because his hairstyle violated a code of appearance established by Greensburg High coach Stacy Meyer, pictured above, which was stipulated in the school's extra-curricular code.

TheIndyChannel.com reported the lawsuit claims coaches told the player he wouldn't be allowed on the court if he failed to cut his hair by a certain date. When the 14-year-old questioned why that was necessary, he was also told that he would be kicked off the team if his parents -- Patrick and Melissa Hayden -- protested the policy.

[greatdefender]

Coach Stacy Meyer

[GeronL]

If a 5th grade girl can be kicked off the cheerleading squad for objecting to doing the “booty call” dance, then players can be made to have appropriate haircuts.

[US Navy Vet]

DWEEB!

[MissTed]

There shouldn't be rules. They can hurt someone's feelings.

/S

[dfwgator]

And what’s up with all the black football players now with the dreadlocks going all the down to their shoulders?

[Domalais]

They have hair and have chosen to grow it that way.

If it doesn’t interfere with other players or pose any risk, who cares?

[boop]

I realize this is a school, but what about pride in looking professional? Lots of pro tteams mandate that when traveling, the players wear coat and ties. It looks classy.

BTW, did Steinbrenner give an exemption to Oscar Gamble?

[RU88]

The parents should be made to pay the costs of this school district's defense after this gets thrown out on its ear. Participation in school sports is a privilege, not a right. By the parents standards I should have the right to sue because my four foot tall 85lb. child didn't make the varsity football team!

[ReverendJames]

This is not a repeat of the ‘60’s or is it? Article doesn’t mention the hairstyle. Too much hair, was it a buzz cut? What?

[BwanaNdege]

Yeah, that has me wondering, too.

But at least the NFL has ruled that grabbing someones long hair is a legal tackle..

[MissTed]

BTW, did Steinbrenner give an exemption to Oscar Gamble?

I know as much about sports as my dog knows about Algebra. I have NO idea!

[DJ MacWoW]

There was a rule. This is an extracurricular activity and this kid chose not to abide by a rule. So it’s ok to whine and sue because you don’t like the rules? Rather a liberal viewpoint, isn’t it. Libs whine “It’s UNFAIR!”. Conservatives don’t.

[madprof98]

I think what we need are confiscatory taxes on lawyers. I’d say about 110% of their income would be about right.

[Domalais]

That reply was directed at someone complaining about dreads on NFL players. Which are not against any rule whatsoever.

[svcw]

I don’t get it. Tell him he has to pull it back when he playing and that’s it.

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

The coach abd/or the school are entirely within their rights to enact whatever rule(s) they see fit, in the pursuit of competitiveness... team unity... whatever, so long as said edicts do not violate existing law. Which this rule, plainly, does not.

That much being freely granted, however: the only genuinely relevant question, were it up to me, would be "Is he one of the five best players I can have on the floor, right here, right now...?"

[Gena Bukin]

This is not a repeat of the ‘60’s or is it? Article doesn’t mention the hairstyle. Too much hair, was it a buzz cut? What?

From another article:

"Their 14-year-old son, identified as A.H. in the lawsuit, was kicked off the team this fall after he refused to cut his hair to comply with team rules, which require players' hair to be above their eyebrows, collars and ears."

Sounds like it was too long.

[day10]

who was kicked off the team because his hairstyle violated a code of appearance established by Greensburg High coach Stacy Meyer, pictured above, which was stipulated in the school's extra-curricular code.

It appears that the rules were set beforehand and this kid was aware. Throw the case out.

[Gena Bukin]

There was a rule. This is an extracurricular activity and this kid chose not to abide by a rule.

Yep. It's not like they were kicking him out of school. Often there are certain rules that people who have participate in extracurricular activities have to abide by --rules that aren't necessarily applied to the rest of the student body.

When I was in high school, there was no smoking age. Students could smoke. In fact, there was a sanctioned "student smoking area" adjacent to the rear entrance. Athletes and cheerleaders were prohibited from smoking (among many other rules) and if caught could be kicked off the team. To participate in extracurricular activities, they had to abide by a standard that wasn't applied to the rest of the students. That's just the way it was.

[ReverendJames]

So I guess it’s ok for girls to have long hair playing BB but not guys. Then too, how long was it? Did it just go past the ears a bit or was it down to the middle of his back? But I guess rules are rules.