Father In Court Fight To Stop Teen Son From Playing Football

UPPER ST. CLAIR, PA - A family court battle is being fought over whether a divorced couple’s 17-year-old son should be permitted to play football during his senior year at Upper St. Clair High School despite his concussion history.

John Orsini and Janice Orsini have joint custody of their youngest son. John Orsini has argued in court that his son should not play football because after having suffered three sports-related concusssions. Janice Orsini has countered that the teen understands the potential risks and should be allowed to play, The New York Times reported.

Janice Orsini received “input and opinions of his treating physicians and medical providers” to make the decision, John Demas, her attorney, said in a statement. “The record reflects that Mrs. Orsini’s first priority is, and has been, the health, safety and well-being of her children and to suggest otherwise is patently false.”

In July, John Orsini sent a letter to the teen’s principal in July saying that he no longer consented to him participating in football team activities because of the concussion issue, resulting in the school district prohibiting him from playing, Janice Orsini contends.

The boy’s mother filed an emergency request to let him play, but the judge allowed the ban to stand, The New York Times reported. Two weeks later, in August, she filed a motion seeking a change in physical custody of her son and sole legal custody "as it pertains to extracurricular activities.”

Jancie Orsini argued that if her ex-husband desired to "change the status quo arrangement," the burden was on him to change the custody agreement, according to court documents. A judge permitted the teen to play football during his junior year in the interim before a final custody hearing scheduled for March 29.

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