LANSING (AP) — A high school sports advocacy group, hockey league and parents of athletes sued Michigan's health director on Tuesday, seeking a reversal of a 2 1/2-month state ban on contact sports that was issued to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Let Them Play Michigan, a group of student-athletes, parents, coaches and school administrators who rallied at the Capitol over the weekend, is among the plaintiffs that filed suit in the state Court of Claims.
The complaint contends that the pandemic order, which was recently extended through Feb. 21, “arbitrarily and irrationally singles out and deprives” athletes of their constitutional rights and freedoms. Competition could resume safely with precautions, according to the lawsuit.
The order prohibits contact sports unless all participants, teams and venues comply with an enhanced COVID-19 testing regimen, as conducted by pro and college leagues, or a pilot testing program, which enabled the recent completion of fall high school tournaments that had been suspended.
Winter high school sports — basketball, hockey, wrestling and competitive cheer — along with youth leagues are effectively restricted to non-contact activities only.
State Health and Human Services Director Elizabeth Hertel, whom Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer appointed to lead the agency 11 days ago, was sued in her official capacity. Spokeswoman Lynn Sutfin said the department and governor acted decisively in November as a surge in cases threatened to overwhelm hospitals.
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