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Illinois team stripped of Little League titles

Chicago’s Jackie Robinson West team was stripped of its championship titles after Little League International said the team falsified its boundary map.

Chicago’s Jackie Robinson West team was stripped of its championship titles after Little League International said the team falsified its boundary map.

The league said players were put on the team who did not qualify because they lived outside the team’s geographic boundary, and that the team and Illinois District 4 leaders knew about it.

“This is a heartbreaking decision. What these players accomplished on the field and the memories and lessons they have learned during the Little League World Series tournament is something the kids can be proud of, but it is unfortunate that the actions of adults have led to this outcome,” said a statement from Stephen Keener, President and CEO of Little League International.

Keener said it was necessary to penalize the team and adults involved “to maintain the integrity of the Little League program.” The allegations against the team were not made until after the 2014 season ended, Keener said. This is the third time in the 68-year history of the Little League World Series that a team was forced to surrender its title.

In addition to losing the Great Lakes Regional and United States championship titles, team manager Darold Butler was suspended from Little League activity and Illinois District 4 administrator Michael Kelly was removed from his position, the league statement said. The team was placed on probation and their tournament privileges were suspended until it elects or appoints new leadership and shows it is “fully compliant with all Little League International Regulations,” the statement said.

Removing the title from Jackie Robinson West means Mountain Ridge Little League from Las Vegas, Nevada gets the 2014 U.S. World Series championship title and the New Albany, Indiana Little League team gets the 2014 Great Lakes Regional title. The 2014 Illinois State Little League championship title now goes to Tri-Cities Little League from West Dundee, Illinois; the team from Lansing, Illinois gets the Illinois Section 3 championship title for 2014; and Rosemoor Little League in Chicago gets the 2014 Illinois District 4 title.

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