Officials with the Jackie Robinson West All-Stars said Thursday the team is still Little League World Series national champions, despite the league's decision to strip them of their title over allegations of residency violations.
The team’s attorney, Victor Henderson, said he advised the boys and the team not to relinquish their title, as Little League International has not provided the team with anything in writing informing them of their decision or the circumstances surrounding the investigation.
"I'm taking the position, and I think they should take the position, that they are still champions,” he said.
Henderson said the players, parents and the team’s leaders were unaware of the league’s decision Wednesday until they saw it in the media.
Little League spokesman Brian McClintock announced the news of the vacated title Wednesday morning, saying an investigation revealed that coach Darold Butler and Illinois District 4 Administrator Michael Kelly knowingly violated rules by using a falsified boundary map for their 2014 tournament and used players who didn't qualify because they lived outside the team's actual boundaries.
Henderson acknowledged Thursday that the team did have some boundary changes, but said he couldn’t comment on the circumstances surrounding those changes.
"Until we know that the process for attacking the title was fair, was transparent, the story's not over yet,” he said. "We're going to give the league the benefit of doubt, and simultaneously we're going to ask you to give the team the benefit of the doubt."
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Officials said the players did not play together at the beginning of the season, instead coming together at the end to be a part of a so-called “all-star” team.
"Any suggestion or belief that this was a team put together solely to win a championship just doesn't hold water,” Henderson said. “There was no intent on anybody’s part to put together some master human race team."
While team officials say they don’t have any immediate plans to file a lawsuit, Henderson said they do plan to ensure the rules applied to JRW are applied to other teams in the league.
“We’re not raising the race card. We’re not raising claims of unfairness,” Henderson said. “I want to make sure any rules or regulations that are applied to Jackie Robinson West are applied to every other team."
Following in the steps of arguments from Mayor Rahm Emanuel and other city leaders, officials maintained the boys shouldn’t be punished for the alleged actions of adults or parents.
"As long as we stay focused on the young men, that part of the story shouldn't change,” Henderson said.
The team’s director Bill Haley also spoke Thursday asking supporters to stand by the team as they have “one battle to face.”
"You were not wrong for sticking with our boys then, and you are not wrong for sticking with our boys now,” he said.
