High Court Sides With Greco-Roman Wrestler
WASHINGTON (AP) _ 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.
Lindland did not deny biting Sieracki's ear.
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.
(Copyright 2000 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
APTV 09-06-00 0745MDT
