Football coach whoh as CMT and uses wheelchair will appeal sideline decision

[Guest guest]

Football coach who uses wheelchair will appeal sideline decision

http://www.kansascity.com/2010/10/06/2284911/football-coach-who-uses-wheelchair.\

html

Merrill Staton knows that his motorized wheelchair draws attention almost

everywhere he goes.

But weeks into the youth football season, he wasn't expecting the commotion it

has created along the sidelines of his second-grade son's football games.

When Staton showed up this week for his volunteer gig as the team's assistant

coach and statistician, he learned that the Football and Cheerleading Club of

County had placed a condition on his work: He could remain a coach

provided he let an adult follow his every move during games.

The stipulation satisfied the league's football board, which feared a player or

Staton could be injured if momentum carried a play off the field and into the

wheelchair.

" We felt like this was a reasonable approach, " said Rich Hunter, the club's

executive director.

The provision caught the coach off-guard because he wasn't included in the

original discussion. Staton didn't have the chance to give the board any insight

on his condition nor explain the mobility of his heavy-duty wheelchair.

Football club officials said the issue all comes down to safety.

" What we were concerned with was the safety of him and the safety of the kids, "

Hunter said. " He can be there, he can take stats, do what he does. We just need

somebody, an adult to be there with him in the event that a play got over

there. "

Staton decided this was one limitation that he had to appeal. Coaching his 5-

and 7-year-old boys and other children has become too meaningful and fulfilling.

" I can't do a whole lot, I guess, is my bottom line. There are very few things

that I can still do that I enjoy to do, " he said. " I'll never be able to run and

play football like that again. I'll never be able to run and play Frisbee. "

On Monday, he'll appeal to the private club's football board. Several parents of

Staton's second-grade and kindergarten teams said they'll be right there behind

him.

The 36-year-old man has a neurological disorder called Charcot-Marie-Tooth

Disease. He fatigues rapidly and spends the majority of his waking hours in a

wheelchair. Staton thinks he poses no more of a safety obstacle than metal down

markers, benches, fences, equipment and others along the sidelines.

" I can probably move faster than some of those guys on their feet. I mean, it's

a matter of moving a joystick and moving, " he said.

Hunter said the club has safety policies involving metal down markers.

" There are down markers and chains at every football game and when play comes to

that side, the down markers and those individuals that are manning those are

told to drop those and get out of the way, so the risk of injury off of those, I

think, is minimal, " Hunter said.

Hunter said board members were concerned that Staton might not be able to move

out of the way quickly enough.

The situation has garnered considerable attention online and along the football

sidelines. Yet in the end, Hunter said he feels the policy is a logical

approach.

" There's nothing extraordinary other than somebody being able to move him out or

being able to move the play, " Hunter said. " It's different, but it's allowing

people to still be there and protect the kids. It seems like a win-win situation

and reasonable. "

The Football and Cheerleading Club of County is a nonprofit agency that

is governed by a board of directors. The elected volunteer board is responsible

for all decisions concerning the club. The group has a lease to use fields at

Heritage Park, which is part of the County Parks and Recreation

District. It does not receive funding from the county parks district.

Hunter said he doesn't see the situation as a disability issue.

" I think it's being made a disability issue. I think it's a safety issue, "

Hunter said. " The safety of the kids is our responsibility. "

The situation came to the football board's attention by the sportsmanship

committee when members noticed Staton coaching.

" I don't think we have had that happen before and so they were raising the

question as how do we want to address it, " Hunter said.

Hunter said he wasn't aware of any complaints or collisions involving Staton.

" I'm not aware of anything happening, but I would hate to be the one that would

have to tell someone if they got hurt that we were aware, " he said.

The board made the decision in September at a meeting that Staton says he knew

nothing about until he showed up for a game Sunday.

At the Disability Rights Center of Kansas, officials couldn't speak to the

specifics of the case because they aren't involved. However, Executive Director

Rocky Nichols said he was disappointed to hear that Staton wasn't included in

the decision-making process from the beginning.

" Given the historic discrimination that people with disabilities have faced and

the fact that they're often treated like second-class citizens and told what to

do without being engaged in the decision-making process…shutting them out from

those discussions and having a meeting in secret doesn't get things off on the

right foot, " Nichols said.

Nichols said the Disability Rights Center has defended and won a case involving

a 7-year-old who wanted to play baseball while using a walker. Recreation

officials had denied the boy playing rights by citing safety concerns, but a

court rejected the argument.

The two cases are different, Nichols said, but he cites the case as a way of

saying that sometimes well-intentioned people don't understand the implications

of their actions.

Several parents are frustrated by the football board's decision and plan to

accompany Staton at the appeal.

" I don't know one mother thus far that says, `I don't want him there,' & #8194; "

said Walsh, whose son plays on the kindergarten team where Staton also

volunteers.

Walsh said he's " quite capable of moving around " along the sidelines.

Several people have warned Staton against appealing the decision. When Staton

called to set up the appeal, he was told that many board members wanted him gone

altogether and didn't like the public attention. Staton said another board

member warned him against appealing because the original conversation had grown

so heated that someone on the board claimed that Staton could walk.

Staton said he does walk short distances, but his disease has forced him to get

around mostly in a wheelchair. Standing on the sidelines without his chair would

be impossible.

Hunter said the club will be fair and is ready to listen to Staton's appeal.

" He'll have to make his case as to why this is not a reasonable thing to do for

the safety of kids, " Hunter said.

The board could rescind the decision, modify it or let it stand. If the board

denies Staton's appeal, he could make a second appeal to an executive board.

Staton said he'll be representing himself because he doesn't have the money to

hire an attorney.

Meanwhile parents like Walsh said there is another significant factor that might

be getting overlooked.

" I kind of feel like it sends a message that if you're disabled that you have

limited capabilities, " she said. " My child has never once said anything about

Merrill being in the wheelchair. Nor has he questioned why he was in the

wheelchair. He just looks at him and calls him coach. My son isn't putting a

boundary on what he can do. I don't think anyone else should put a boundary on

what he can do. "

[Guest guest]

This is beyond outrageous! I've posted the link on my facebook page to get the

word out to my non-CMT friends. We've got to let people know we're not 2nd rate

citizens b/c we are in wheelchairs.

>

> Football coach who uses wheelchair will appeal sideline decision

>

>

http://www.kansascity.com/2010/10/06/2284911/football-coach-who-uses-wheelchair.\

html

>

> Merrill Staton knows that his motorized wheelchair draws attention almost

everywhere he goes.

>

> But weeks into the youth football season, he wasn't expecting the commotion it

has created along the sidelines of his second-grade son's football games.

>

> When Staton showed up this week for his volunteer gig as the team's assistant

coach and statistician, he learned that the Football and Cheerleading Club of

County had placed a condition on his work: He could remain a coach

provided he let an adult follow his every move during games.

>

> The stipulation satisfied the league's football board, which feared a player

or Staton could be injured if momentum carried a play off the field and into the

wheelchair.

>

> " We felt like this was a reasonable approach, " said Rich Hunter, the club's

executive director.

>

> The provision caught the coach off-guard because he wasn't included in the

original discussion. Staton didn't have the chance to give the board any insight

on his condition nor explain the mobility of his heavy-duty wheelchair.

>

> Football club officials said the issue all comes down to safety.

>

> " What we were concerned with was the safety of him and the safety of the

kids, " Hunter said. " He can be there, he can take stats, do what he does. We

just need somebody, an adult to be there with him in the event that a play got

over there. "

>

> Staton decided this was one limitation that he had to appeal. Coaching his 5-

and 7-year-old boys and other children has become too meaningful and fulfilling.

>

> " I can't do a whole lot, I guess, is my bottom line. There are very few things

that I can still do that I enjoy to do, " he said. " I'll never be able to run and

play football like that again. I'll never be able to run and play Frisbee. "

>

> On Monday, he'll appeal to the private club's football board. Several parents

of Staton's second-grade and kindergarten teams said they'll be right there

behind him.

>

> The 36-year-old man has a neurological disorder called Charcot-Marie-Tooth

Disease. He fatigues rapidly and spends the majority of his waking hours in a

wheelchair. Staton thinks he poses no more of a safety obstacle than metal down

markers, benches, fences, equipment and others along the sidelines.

>

> " I can probably move faster than some of those guys on their feet. I mean,

it's a matter of moving a joystick and moving, " he said.

>

> Hunter said the club has safety policies involving metal down markers.

>

> " There are down markers and chains at every football game and when play comes

to that side, the down markers and those individuals that are manning those are

told to drop those and get out of the way, so the risk of injury off of those, I

think, is minimal, " Hunter said.

>

> Hunter said board members were concerned that Staton might not be able to move

out of the way quickly enough.

>

> The situation has garnered considerable attention online and along the

football sidelines. Yet in the end, Hunter said he feels the policy is a logical

approach.

>

> " There's nothing extraordinary other than somebody being able to move him out

or being able to move the play, " Hunter said. " It's different, but it's allowing

people to still be there and protect the kids. It seems like a win-win situation

and reasonable. "

>

> The Football and Cheerleading Club of County is a nonprofit agency

that is governed by a board of directors. The elected volunteer board is

responsible for all decisions concerning the club. The group has a lease to use

fields at Heritage Park, which is part of the County Parks and

Recreation District. It does not receive funding from the county parks district.

>

> Hunter said he doesn't see the situation as a disability issue.

>

> " I think it's being made a disability issue. I think it's a safety issue, "

Hunter said. " The safety of the kids is our responsibility. "

>

> The situation came to the football board's attention by the sportsmanship

committee when members noticed Staton coaching.

>

> " I don't think we have had that happen before and so they were raising the

question as how do we want to address it, " Hunter said.

>

> Hunter said he wasn't aware of any complaints or collisions involving Staton.

>

> " I'm not aware of anything happening, but I would hate to be the one that

would have to tell someone if they got hurt that we were aware, " he said.

>

> The board made the decision in September at a meeting that Staton says he knew

nothing about until he showed up for a game Sunday.

>

> At the Disability Rights Center of Kansas, officials couldn't speak to the

specifics of the case because they aren't involved. However, Executive Director

Rocky Nichols said he was disappointed to hear that Staton wasn't included in

the decision-making process from the beginning.

>

> " Given the historic discrimination that people with disabilities have faced

and the fact that they're often treated like second-class citizens and told what

to do without being engaged in the decision-making process…shutting them out

from those discussions and having a meeting in secret doesn't get things off on

the right foot, " Nichols said.

>

> Nichols said the Disability Rights Center has defended and won a case

involving a 7-year-old who wanted to play baseball while using a walker.

Recreation officials had denied the boy playing rights by citing safety

concerns, but a court rejected the argument.

>

> The two cases are different, Nichols said, but he cites the case as a way of

saying that sometimes well-intentioned people don't understand the implications

of their actions.

>

> Several parents are frustrated by the football board's decision and plan to

accompany Staton at the appeal.

>

> " I don't know one mother thus far that says, `I don't want him there,' & #8194; "

said Walsh, whose son plays on the kindergarten team where Staton also

volunteers.

>

> Walsh said he's " quite capable of moving around " along the sidelines.

>

> Several people have warned Staton against appealing the decision. When Staton

called to set up the appeal, he was told that many board members wanted him gone

altogether and didn't like the public attention. Staton said another board

member warned him against appealing because the original conversation had grown

so heated that someone on the board claimed that Staton could walk.

>

> Staton said he does walk short distances, but his disease has forced him to

get around mostly in a wheelchair. Standing on the sidelines without his chair

would be impossible.

>

> Hunter said the club will be fair and is ready to listen to Staton's appeal.

>

> " He'll have to make his case as to why this is not a reasonable thing to do

for the safety of kids, " Hunter said.

>

> The board could rescind the decision, modify it or let it stand. If the board

denies Staton's appeal, he could make a second appeal to an executive board.

>

> Staton said he'll be representing himself because he doesn't have the money to

hire an attorney.

>

> Meanwhile parents like Walsh said there is another significant factor that

might be getting overlooked.

>

> " I kind of feel like it sends a message that if you're disabled that you have

limited capabilities, " she said. " My child has never once said anything about

Merrill being in the wheelchair. Nor has he questioned why he was in the

wheelchair. He just looks at him and calls him coach. My son isn't putting a

boundary on what he can do. I don't think anyone else should put a boundary on

what he can do. "

>

[Guest guest]

How many players are paralyzed, or killed, each year playing football versus the

number of people who are " injured " on the sidelines?

Exactly.

Hushed up numbers.

>

> Football coach who uses wheelchair will appeal sideline decision

>

>

http://www.kansascity.com/2010/10/06/2284911/football-coach-who-uses-wheelchair.\

html

>

> Merrill Staton knows that his motorized wheelchair draws attention almost

everywhere he goes.

>

> But weeks into the youth football season, he wasn't expecting the commotion it

has created along the sidelines of his second-grade son's football games.

>

> When Staton showed up this week for his volunteer gig as the team's assistant

coach and statistician, he learned that the Football and Cheerleading Club of

County had placed a condition on his work: He could remain a coach

provided he let an adult follow his every move during games.

>

> The stipulation satisfied the league's football board, which feared a player

or Staton could be injured if momentum carried a play off the field and into the

wheelchair.

>

> " We felt like this was a reasonable approach, " said Rich Hunter, the club's

executive director.

>

> The provision caught the coach off-guard because he wasn't included in the

original discussion. Staton didn't have the chance to give the board any insight

on his condition nor explain the mobility of his heavy-duty wheelchair.

>

> Football club officials said the issue all comes down to safety.

>

> " What we were concerned with was the safety of him and the safety of the

kids, " Hunter said. " He can be there, he can take stats, do what he does. We

just need somebody, an adult to be there with him in the event that a play got

over there. "

>

> Staton decided this was one limitation that he had to appeal. Coaching his 5-

and 7-year-old boys and other children has become too meaningful and fulfilling.

>

> " I can't do a whole lot, I guess, is my bottom line. There are very few things

that I can still do that I enjoy to do, " he said. " I'll never be able to run and

play football like that again. I'll never be able to run and play Frisbee. "

>

> On Monday, he'll appeal to the private club's football board. Several parents

of Staton's second-grade and kindergarten teams said they'll be right there

behind him.

>

> The 36-year-old man has a neurological disorder called Charcot-Marie-Tooth

Disease. He fatigues rapidly and spends the majority of his waking hours in a

wheelchair. Staton thinks he poses no more of a safety obstacle than metal down

markers, benches, fences, equipment and others along the sidelines.

>

> " I can probably move faster than some of those guys on their feet. I mean,

it's a matter of moving a joystick and moving, " he said.

>

> Hunter said the club has safety policies involving metal down markers.

>

> " There are down markers and chains at every football game and when play comes

to that side, the down markers and those individuals that are manning those are

told to drop those and get out of the way, so the risk of injury off of those, I

think, is minimal, " Hunter said.

>

> Hunter said board members were concerned that Staton might not be able to move

out of the way quickly enough.

>

> The situation has garnered considerable attention online and along the

football sidelines. Yet in the end, Hunter said he feels the policy is a logical

approach.

>

> " There's nothing extraordinary other than somebody being able to move him out

or being able to move the play, " Hunter said. " It's different, but it's allowing

people to still be there and protect the kids. It seems like a win-win situation

and reasonable. "

>

> The Football and Cheerleading Club of County is a nonprofit agency

that is governed by a board of directors. The elected volunteer board is

responsible for all decisions concerning the club. The group has a lease to use

fields at Heritage Park, which is part of the County Parks and

Recreation District. It does not receive funding from the county parks district.

>

> Hunter said he doesn't see the situation as a disability issue.

>

> " I think it's being made a disability issue. I think it's a safety issue, "

Hunter said. " The safety of the kids is our responsibility. "

>

> The situation came to the football board's attention by the sportsmanship

committee when members noticed Staton coaching.

>

> " I don't think we have had that happen before and so they were raising the

question as how do we want to address it, " Hunter said.

>

> Hunter said he wasn't aware of any complaints or collisions involving Staton.

>

> " I'm not aware of anything happening, but I would hate to be the one that

would have to tell someone if they got hurt that we were aware, " he said.

>

> The board made the decision in September at a meeting that Staton says he knew

nothing about until he showed up for a game Sunday.

>

> At the Disability Rights Center of Kansas, officials couldn't speak to the

specifics of the case because they aren't involved. However, Executive Director

Rocky Nichols said he was disappointed to hear that Staton wasn't included in

the decision-making process from the beginning.

>

> " Given the historic discrimination that people with disabilities have faced

and the fact that they're often treated like second-class citizens and told what

to do without being engaged in the decision-making process…shutting them out

from those discussions and having a meeting in secret doesn't get things off on

the right foot, " Nichols said.

>

> Nichols said the Disability Rights Center has defended and won a case

involving a 7-year-old who wanted to play baseball while using a walker.

Recreation officials had denied the boy playing rights by citing safety

concerns, but a court rejected the argument.

>

> The two cases are different, Nichols said, but he cites the case as a way of

saying that sometimes well-intentioned people don't understand the implications

of their actions.

>

> Several parents are frustrated by the football board's decision and plan to

accompany Staton at the appeal.

>

> " I don't know one mother thus far that says, `I don't want him there,' & #8194; "

said Walsh, whose son plays on the kindergarten team where Staton also

volunteers.

>

> Walsh said he's " quite capable of moving around " along the sidelines.

>

> Several people have warned Staton against appealing the decision. When Staton

called to set up the appeal, he was told that many board members wanted him gone

altogether and didn't like the public attention. Staton said another board

member warned him against appealing because the original conversation had grown

so heated that someone on the board claimed that Staton could walk.

>

> Staton said he does walk short distances, but his disease has forced him to

get around mostly in a wheelchair. Standing on the sidelines without his chair

would be impossible.

>

> Hunter said the club will be fair and is ready to listen to Staton's appeal.

>

> " He'll have to make his case as to why this is not a reasonable thing to do

for the safety of kids, " Hunter said.

>

> The board could rescind the decision, modify it or let it stand. If the board

denies Staton's appeal, he could make a second appeal to an executive board.

>

> Staton said he'll be representing himself because he doesn't have the money to

hire an attorney.

>

> Meanwhile parents like Walsh said there is another significant factor that

might be getting overlooked.

>

> " I kind of feel like it sends a message that if you're disabled that you have

limited capabilities, " she said. " My child has never once said anything about

Merrill being in the wheelchair. Nor has he questioned why he was in the

wheelchair. He just looks at him and calls him coach. My son isn't putting a

boundary on what he can do. I don't think anyone else should put a boundary on

what he can do. "

>