Know Thyne Enemy
When the sides line up against each other on Monday morning, Jeremy Bloom will be staring across at an even bigger opponent than he anticipated. Alongside the NCAA, college sports' governing body, will be the very school for whom Bloom wishes to play football this fall: The University of Colorado.
CU joined the lawsuit as an involuntary defendant on Wednesday, August 7. Bloom, the 2002 World Cup moguls champion and Olympian, is suing the NCAA for the right to keep his skiing sponsors while playing college football for the Buffaloes.
Officials from the school, however, say the move is 100 percent legal posturing, and could actually benefit the skier should the hearing, which is scheduled for Monday, August 12, go in Bloom's favor. "Involuntary is the key word here," says CU spokesman Dave Plati. "It would be inaccurate to say CU joined the case as an involuntary party with out mentioning that we still support Jeremy and haven't turned our backs on him."
According to Plati, the move effectively exonerates CU from any penalties the NCAA could have levied should a decision favorable to Bloom be overturned in a future appeal. Under NCAA bylaw 19.8, the NCAA could have forced CU to forfeit any games in which Bloom played in the event a pro-Bloom decision is overturned.
By backing the NCAA in the case-at least in the eyes of the law-CU is no longer subject to such penalties. This means, should the case go in his favor, Bloom will be able to take the field with his teammates immediately, without fear that he may actually cost them victories down the road.
The hearing starts on Monday, August 12 in the Boulder District Court, Boulder, Colorado, and could last three days. Stay tuned to POWDERmag.com for more updates.
-Derek Taylor