Butler’s case against PIAA coming back to state court
The Butler Area School District’s lawsuit against the PIAA is returning to the Butler County Court of Common Pleas. This comes after federal court declined to rule on the case, which is in regards to the governing body’s refusal to allow the Golden Tornado’s football program to participate in the playoffs if it competes in District 10.
After hearing the arguments in Pittsburgh Thursday, district judge W. Scott Hardy dismissed claims and ruled that factors of the case are to be decided at the state level.
Butler has also offered to mediate the case with the PIAA to resolve the issue. A mediator was selected at the federal level, but the sides will have to wait for one in the move back.
It was the PIAA that asked to move the suit to federal court.
“We’re hoping the resolution allows our kids an opportunity to compete like every other team in the PIAA,” said Butler Area School District superintendent Brian White. “Nothing has changed in our program. They’re preparing to be competitive for every game they can.”
The Golden Tornado played in District 10 each of the previous two seasons. They reached the postseason last fall, and, in January, Butler athletic director Bill Mylan received word from the WPIAL that the school’s football team would be ineligible to compete in the playoffs in 2022.
“There were no disciplinary charges,” White said. “We hadn’t violated any rules or anything like that. They just decided that it was competitively unfair for us to pick where we wanted to play, even though we had done so at the recommendation of the WPIAL to help us build our program back up.”
White referred to the fact that the PIAA by-laws list only a few reasons for which to rule a team ineligible for the playoffs. They include the use of ineligible players, such as the violation of athletic transfer rules, but nothing quite like Butler’s case.
“Our contention is the bylaws do not allow the WPIAL, which is part of the PIAA, to allow new rules that are specific to just us,” White said. “Over the past 10 years, there are at least three teams that became associate members of the WPIAL in football … They played in the WPIAL for football, the same as we are doing for District 10, and they were eligible for — and one of them, at least — played in the playoffs.
“Why are we being treated differently than others?”
Butler’s athletes will continue to get ready for the upcoming schedule.
“I’m really proud of how hard the kids are still working, not knowing where things will be or won’t be,” White said. “Regardless of whether we’re eligible for the playoffs or not eligible for the playoffs, they’re growing the program.”
Yet to have a court date, White couldn’t provide a timeline.
“It’s almost like a treading water thing right now,” White said.
