RICARDO YEARWOOD has taken his plight from the cameras to the courts.
One day after publicly apologizing, the sanctioned basketballer officially filed a court injunction against the Barbados Amateur Basketball Association (BABA) to contest his highly-debated life ban from the sport.
Attorney Arthur Holder filed the document on Yearwood’s behalf yesterday afternoon at the High Court seeking that the decision “be deemed invalid, null and void”.
The move comes as the latest development of the Yearwood saga, which started last month with the highly-publicized dropkick of Keith Mayers that led to Yearwood receiving the life ban.
“I’m saying no provision is made in the rules for a life ban,” said Holder at the Supreme Court yesterday.
“I speak to Section 11.1 [of the BABA’s rules], it speaks of suspension [so] I’m asking the court to give an interpretation of 11.1.”
Under Statue 11.1 of the BABA rules and regulations, “the council shall have the right to impose sanctions on the party at fault” for being found “guilty of violation of the laws of the game, rules or regulations of the BABA.
The rule goes on to state that “these sanctions may be of a disciplinary and/or financial character, adding that “a fine not exceeding $500 may be imposed”.
Holder’s document also seeks to rescind Yearwood’s ban on the grounds that the hearing conducted by the BABA’s disciplinary committee was “procedural flawed and biased and contravened the claimant’s right to a fair hearing by an impartial tribunal”.
The injunction made good on Holder’s threat last week of seeking legal action against the BABA if it didn’t rescind Yearwood’s ban by Thursday of that week. In a televised interview with CBC’s Cheyne Jones on Sunday night, Yearwood apologized for the incident.
According to the document, the first hearing of the claim is set for September 12.
BABA president Derrick Garrett declined comment, but has stood firmly behind his executive’s decision to impose the lifelong sanction. Andrew Pilgrim, the attorney representing the BABA, was also unavailable for comment. (JM)
