The wild success story of Jackie Robinson West’s U.S. Little League Championship has suddenly become a scandal, now that the school has been stripped of its title. A player for the team spoke out at a news conference and even the White House has been forced to comment.
Earlier today, the Chicago school’s team was stripped of its title by Little League International. The team is accused of having ineligible players who lived outside of the school’s geographical boundaries.
Hours after the decision, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and activist Michael Pfleger called a press conference, during which catcher Brandon Green and his mother spoke. The Chicago Tribune reports that Green said he doesn’t think any of his teammates were “involved in anything that could have caused us to be stripped of our championship.”
“But we do know that we’re champions, our parents know that we’re champions, and the team’s parents know that we’re champions, and Chicago knows we’re champions,” Brandon added.
His mother, Venisa Green, said that the decision was a complete surprise and called it “just outright disrespectful.” She said that no one reached out to the parents or called for a meeting to explain what was going on.
Jackie Robinson West went to the 2014 Little League World Series, becoming the first all-African American U.S. team to do so. The Las Vegas team they beat to earn that berth will now be awarded the Little League U.S. Championship.
The team’s story was so inspiring that even President Barack Obama invited them to the White House. Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters today that Obama is still proud of boys.
“The president is proud of the way that they represented their city and the way they represented the country," Earnest said, reports USA Today. "The fact is, you know, some dirty dealing by some adults doesn't take anything away from the accomplishments of those young men."