SAN ANTONIO – For now it's football practice as usual for four Southside Pop Warner football teams who dropped out of the program earlier this month.
A temporary restraining order demanding the return of uniforms and equipment to San Antonio Pop Warner Inc. was allowed to expire.
Recommended Videos
The teams claim the uniforms and equipment belong to them since they raised money to pay for them.
The local Pop Warner commissioner says the organization needs the equipment to give to other teams still in the program.
"We've offered the olive branch and tried to mediate and negotiate the matter," said San Antonio Pop Warner Commissioner Chris Benavides. "They refuse to understand that this is the rule of Pop Warner that they agreed to while they were still a part of Pop Warner."
The lawyer for the teams has asked that the case be dismissed, arguing that the local courts do not have jurisdiction. They insist that the matter be adjudicated in Pennsylvania where the Pop Warner organization is headquartered.
District Judge Karen Pozza ordered that both sides submit written arguments on the jurisdiction issue and scheduled a hearing to address the matter in 10 days.
Though the expiration of the temporary order was welcome news for the teams, they understand that the situation remains unresolved.
"It's extremely destructive and detrimental to the children that were being affected by San Antonio Pop Warner's desire to take these helmets and shoulder pads off of the backs of these children for their own use," said attorney Nicole Elizalde-Henning, the team's legal counsel.
"It's nonsense," said Mindy Villa, a parent of one of the youngsters. "I think we worked hard and invested a lot of hours and we deserve to keep what is ours."