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NMAA admits mistake in disqualifying Belen relay team over do-rag

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Belen’s Jeremiah Lord, right, prepares to hand the baton to teammate Chalito Cano during the 4x100 relay at the state track and field meet in May. The Eagles were disqualified because of the do-rag head covering Lord was wearing, a ruling the NMAA later called a “mistake.”
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Jeremiah Lord, left, and his mother Sheda, right, successfully lobbied the NMAA to make changes after the disqualification of a Belen relay team.
Mike Powers Mike Powers Mike Powers Valencia County News-Bulletin
Published Modified

Not long after the Belen boys team crossed the finish line in the preliminaries of the 4x100 relay in late May at the 4A State Track Championship came word that the Eagles had been disqualified.

It wasn’t over a lane infraction or a dropped baton, but because of a piece of clothing. The point of contention was a do-rag, a head covering worn by one of the Eagles.

Shortly after the race, the runners were told about the ruling, which kept the team from advancing to the finals.

“I was in disbelief. I was hurt,” said Jeremiah Lord, a BHS freshman who was wearing the do-rag. “I was very shocked.”

Months later, after a sustained campaign from the Lord family, the New Mexico Activities Association has acknowledged that the disqualification was a “mistake,” and that there was not a violation.

Read the rest of the story by the Valencia County News-Bulletin.

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