High school star cleared in SUV inquiry

CLEVELAND - LeBron James did not violate state amateur bylaws by accepting a sports utility vehicle as a gift.\nThe Ohio High School Athletic Association concluded its two-week investigation Monday by clearing James, the nation's top prep player, of any wrongdoing.\nOHSAA commissioner Clair Muscaro spent the past two weeks gathering information and documentation to determine how James got a Hummer H2 vehicle, which has a base retail price of $50,000.\nMuscaro said no violations of the OHSAA amateur bylaws "as currently written" have been found and that James is still eligible to play.\nGloria James said she obtained a bank loan to buy the SUV for her son's 18th birthday and provided financial information to the OHSAA for its inquiry.\nMuscaro was shown the business records from the bank and dealership, and was satisfied that the financing and acquisition of the vehicle were acquired by James' mother alone.\n"Accordingly, this type of transaction is not a violation of the OHSAA bylaws on amateurism," Muscaro said in a statement.\nMuscaro's concern was that James had accepted the automobile from an agent or outside source and had violated an OHSAA bylaw that states amateur status is forfeited if an athlete capitalizes on athletic fame by receiving money or gifts of monetary value.\nIf the OHSAA had stripped James of his amateur status, he would have been ineligible to play for the rest of the season, and St. Vincent-St. Mary, the nation's No. 1 team, would have forfeited its games from the time James accepted the SUV.\n"We're glad it's behind us," said Grant Innocenzi, the school's athletic director. "We can now move on with the season. We want as few distractions as possible. These kids want to win the state championship."\nMuscaro said the OHSAA will review its bylaws on amateurism and could make changes if recommended to do so by its member schools.\nJames has had the SUV for several weeks. On Friday night, he parked the platinum-colored Hummer just outside the school's gym doors, giving fans arriving for his final home game on campus a chance to see it.\nGloria James would not comment on the inquiry Sunday following her son's game as the Fighting Irish beat Akron Buchtel 82-71.\nLeBron James, who had 25 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists, was not available to reporters.\nJames and his teammates appeared flat from the outset in Sunday's game _ their only regular-season matchup against an Akron-area school.\nSt. Vincent-St. Mary coach Dru Joyce said the investigation had been a distraction.\n"We're glad it's finally official," Joyce said. "We believed fully that LeBron and his family did nothing wrong. We're happy and he's happy that we can move on"