Vindicator Logo

YSU appeal denied, so Richmond will be on Saturday field

Friday, September 15, 2017

YOUNGSTOWN

Look for Ma’lik Richmond to be on the sidelines today for Youngstown State University against Central Connecticut State University.

A federal appeals court declined YSU’s request to stop Richmond, convicted of rape as a teenager, from playing on the team.

YSU had appealed a federal judge’s decision Friday allowing Richmond to play to the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati.

Judge Benita Y. Pearson issued a temporary restraining order Thursday forbidding YSU from barring Richmond from athletic competition for any reason other than a coaching decision made using the same criteria used to judge other players for 14 days.

The appeals court, however, said YSU failed to show a temporary order allowing Richmond back on the team “has serious or irreparable consequences.”

No further appeal by the university is planned for now, said Dan Tierney, a spokesman for the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, which represents the university.

Read more about the situation in Saturday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.