Crowe & Dunlevy Attorney, Mark Grossman, Pursues Expedited State Supreme Court Appeal of Injunction Against Football Player’s Suspension

Appeal of Injunction Against Football Player’s Suspension
December 6, 2005 - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Crowe & Dunlevy attorney, Mark Grossman, is representing the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association (“OSSAA”) in the high profile case involving the suspension of Shawnee High School quarterback, Tucker Brown, from playing in his team’s class 5A semi-final football game.

OSSAA asked for an expedited appeal from the Oklahoma Supreme Court after the district court in Shawnee ruled on the Wednesday afternoon before the Thanksgiving holiday that Brown could play, despite his suspension for kicking an opposing player in the head at the end of the team’s quarterfinal game on November 19, 2005. OSSAA concluded that the semi-final game between Shawnee and Tulsa’s East Central High School scheduled for Thanksgiving weekend would have to be postponed so that an appeal could be filed when the Supreme Court reopened on the Monday after the holiday. The Supreme Court promptly agreed to hear the OSSAA’s appeal of this temporary injunction and directed that accelerated briefing be completed by Monday, December 5, 2005.

In its appeal, OSSAA contends that the temporary injunction was inappropriate in view of the clear evidence supporting enforcement of Brown’s suspension. If allowed to stand, the injunction will, in the view of OSSAA and its member schools, undermine the objective of preventing fights during high school athletic contests, and other players “ruled ineligible due to game misconduct or violation of other OSSAA rules will be encouraged to seek review from the courts.”

Mark Grossman joined the Firm in 1983 and has concentrated his practice in complex litigation matters and appellate work for more than twenty years. He has been a shareholder and director of the Firm’s Oklahoma City office since 1991.