Claire Mitchell, president of the National Basketball Federation of T&T (NBFTT), is challenging the decision of the T&T Olympic Committee (TTOC), to suspend the organisation for six months, which started on Tuesday and ends on July 4.
When contacted by Guardian Media Sports via email, Mitchell responded with a press release indicating that her organisation has retained attorney Keith Scotland of Virtus Chambers as its legal counsel.
On the first day of the suspension, TTOC through a letter from its president Brian Lewis to Mitchell informed the NBFTT that a unanimous decision was taken by the TTOC executive to immediately suspend the NBFTT from participating in any approved/sanctioned activities of the TTOC for the six-months period.
According to the TTOC, it was a result of the federation's insubordination of a ruling by a tribunal of the TTOC in May 2021 which found that the decision of the NBFTT to suspend Basketball Coaches Association of T&T (BCATT) chairman Keith Clement and vice president of Finance Ikenna Joseph to be unconstitutional.
The TTOC in its letter chronologically listed several events which led to the suspension.
The NBFTT president did similarly in her release, citing that despite her federation "complying fully with the recommendations of the Tribunal Hearing and officially informing the TTOC in writing, the NBFTT is hereby being accused of non-compliance and disrespect".
She said: "The NBFTT is uncertain about where it ignored the recommendations of TTOC and what due process TTOC has used to establish the facts of its non-compliance claim that warrants this suspension.
She continued: "On July 14, 2021, the NBFTT Board met and reversed its suspension decision and followed the recommendation of TTOC to use Article 10:3 of its Constitution to discipline Keith Clement and Ikenna Joseph for bringing the Federation into disrepute."
According to Mitchell at that meeting, two motions were passed. The first, to accept the recommendation of the Disciplinary Tribunal of the TTOC and rescind the decision taken by the board of directors of the NBFTT at its April 26, 2021, Statutory Board Meeting; 'to suspend Mr Keith Clement and Mr Ikenna Joseph from all basketball activities pending the outcome of a disciplinary hearing to be conducted by the disciplinary committee of the NBFTT'.
The other, to request the immediate resignation of Clement and Joseph using Article 10:3 of the NBFTT Constitution, and to strike both names from the records and membership of the NBFTT, effective immediately.
Mitchell advised that on July 23, 2021, the NBFTT sent a letter to TTOC and copied the Arbitration Committee informing them of the motions carried at the meeting.
"The TTOC secretary-general acknowledged receipt of the email correspondence on July 25, 2021. On August 19, 2021, Mr Clement and Mr Joseph sent their NBFTT expulsion letters to TTOC and copied the NBFTT board. Said letters outlined the details above. As such, NBFTT showed that it respected the decision of the Arbitration Committee and fulfilled its obligation to inform the TTOC accordingly.
Mitchell shared that having been informed that the expelled individuals were no longer members of NBFTT and by extension of TTOC on September 1, 2021, the TTOC then invited the NBFTT executives to meet with Clement and Joseph to discuss the "best way forward for basketball".
However, the Mitchell-led NBFTT decided against the meeting with the TTOC.
"On September 6, 2021, the NBFTT re-iterated that it had followed the TTOC Decision, asked the TTOC to please respect its constitutional board decision as it was made with the best interest of basketball in mind. The NBFTT further advised the TTOC that it found no value in discussing the 'best way forward for basketball' with persons who were recently expelled for engaging in conduct deemed inimical to the interest of the sport.
In response to a letter dated October 4, 2021, according to Mitchell, the TTOC sent a letter formally accusing the NBFTT of not following the recommendation of the Arbitration Committee and summoning the Federation to say why.
"While the letter admonished about the need for due process, there was no evidence that the TTOC took any time to establish whether the accusation in its letter was indeed factual," said Mitchell.
"The letter (dated October 1, 2021), similar to this Suspension Letter (dated January 4, 2022) – failed to inform how the TTOC came to the conclusion that the Arbitration Committee’s Decision was not followed. Rather, the letter demanded to know why the Decision was not followed; when, in fact, it was.
"The Suspension Letter, similar to the Arbitration Hearing Report, does not speak of any opportunity to appeal this decision."
The NBFTT, who hopes through its legal counsel Scotland to resolve the matter, posed questions to the TTOC.
"We are hopeful that clarity will be offered to the situation swiftly to avoid players being robbed of opportunities outside of FIBA – such as the upcoming Commonwealth Games – to represent their country, due to administrative missteps and misconceptions.
"These misconceptions, not unlike the actions of the expelled members have the capacity to tarnish the image of the sport as well as its administration. Why would a country’s opportunity to be represented at Olympic events be sacrificed for six months – seemingly on a whim by any Olympic Committee in the free world? Does the TTOC’s questioning the NBFTT’s actions necessitate killing the dreams of a whole nation of ballplayers?
"What is TTOC’s responsibility to basketball players in this nation? How did TTOC get bogged down into this matter? Stakeholders are demanding answers to this draconian decision. NBFTT is willing to expose this to a higher level of transparency. We will meet TTOC at any forum, Court of Arbitration, Civil Court, Court of Public Opinion, etc., to correct this national faux pas."