After Saturday’s ruling was reversed, the IHSA issued the following statement:
“The Board respects (IHSA Executive Director Marty Hickman) Dr. Hickman’s initial decision and believe it was the correct decision based on the resources he had at the time,” said IHSA Board President and Wauconda High School Principal Dan Klett. “There is precedence for individuals being suspended from IHSA State Final contests for this type of conduct.
”This was a unique situation in terms of how the gesture was brought to our attention via social media. As a Board, we wanted the opportunity to hear from the student-athlete and review additional materials. After doing so, the Board agreed that the gesture could have been inappropriate. However, without additional supporting evidence, we could not make the determination that the gesture was intended as an unsportsmanlike action and chose to overturn the ruling.”
