Paxton appeals case to Kentucky Court of Appeals

 

 

The attorneys for senior left-handed pitcher James Paxton have appealed his case to the Kentucky Court of Appeals, they announced in a news release Wednesday.

Paxton’s motion for a temporary injunction that would have allowed him to play baseball this season without submitting to an interview by NCAA investigators was denied on Jan. 15 by a Fayette County Circuit Court judge. It is believed the NCAA wants to interview Paxton about his relationship with MLB agent Scott Boras.

Paxton was the 37th overall pick in the 2009 MLB draft and was the highest-drafted player to return to college for his senior year. Paxton’s eligibility has been called into question by the NCAA due to an article on a Toronto newspaper’s Web site quoting a Blue Jays’ front office executive saying he dealt exclusively with Scott Boras, a well-known baseball agent who served as an adviser to Paxton during negotiations. If that is indeed true, it would be an NCAA violation.

In the motion, Paxton’s attorneys argue their client does not have to submit to the interview in the manner he is being asked to because of his rights in the UK Student Code of Conduct and in the Kentucky Constitution.

“What is happening to James is a travesty, but this case has larger ramifications for the 360,000 or so student-athletes nationwide, who heretofore now have been misinformed that they have no rights and must submit to NCAA Gestapo tactics under the direction and approval of their colleges and universities, both public and private,” said Richard G. Johnson, one of Paxton’s attorneys, in the release.

UK baseball opens its season on Feb. 19 with a game against Virginia Tech in Myrtle Beach, S.C.