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Flag football league sues to stop rival
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
A youth flag-football league has filed suit in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court to stop a rival league from taking the field.
The Youngstown Youth Flag Football Association has filed suit against the NEO Flag Football League and its head, Pete Raptis, saying Raptis, a former coach in the YYFFA, violated confidentially agreements when he created the new league.
According to the suit, Raptis created the NEO in December to play its games in Canfield.
The YYFFA asked for a temporary restraining order to ban the NEO or Raptis from operating a league anywhere within 100 miles of Youngstown for three years, but the motion was denied by Magistrate Dennis Sarisky. Sarisky will have a hearing on the YYFFA’s request for a permanent injunction Wednesday.
According to the suit, Raptis signed a confidentally agreement in August after he became a coach in the YYFFA. The suit says the YYFFA has developed several practices and procedures that have an economic value, and because Raptis has created a new league, the YYFFA has suffered damages.
Along with the confidentially agreement was a no-compete agreement, banning Raptis from providing another youth league for three years within 100 miles of Youngstown, and he now is in violation of that agreement, according to the suit.
The YYFFA is asking that a court award $1,500 for each breach of the agreement by Raptis as well as payment of attorney fees and court costs.
The YYFFA has teams for age groups 5-6 up to 13-14 and has a slate of games scheduled for this spring, according to its website. The NEO’s season begins Saturday, and each team will play six regular-season games at Canfield High School with the championship game set at Youngstown State University’s stadium. The NEO offers teams in the 5-6 and 7-8 age groups.
The suit says that by allowing the NEO to continue in operation, the YYFFA will suffer “great or irreparable harm.”
Bruce Broyles, who represents the YYFFA, said he did not have much to say other than what is in the suit.
John Shultz, who is representing Raptis and the NEO, said he will defend not only his clients but also the children in the league who signed up to play football.