Tweet
Does anyone know what the real story is behind this? what his beef was about?
USA Boxing reinstated Luis Yanez to the Olympic team Wednesday, more than two weeks after the light flyweight was kicked off the Beijing roster for missing several weeks of workouts.
Yanez was dropped from the team after he was absent for most of June from the Olympic team's residency training program in Colorado Springs. Coach Dan Campbell and USA Boxing CEO Jim Millman said they didn't hear from Yanez, who was home in Duncanville, Texas, until shortly before they sent a formal letter setting a final deadline for his return.
Yanez is expected to rejoin his teammates in Colorado Springs on Wednesday. The team will head to San Jose, Calif., on Monday for final processing before leaving for Beijing next week.
"It all worked out for the best," Yanez family spokesman Michael Montoya told The Associated Press. "We're all very happy, very excited. His whole attitude has turned around just completely. He's looking forward to getting back to camp, putting this behind us and taking care of business."
Montoya said Yanez already is close to his 106-pound fighting weight after several weeks of daily workouts with Dennis Rodarte, his longtime coach.
Yanez agreed to pay a fine, undergo sports counseling and make a public apology. He also will personally apologize to his teammates and keep from making public remarks on the case.
"I want to thank USA Boxing for its understanding and sense of forgiveness," Yanez said in a statement. "I sincerely apologize to Head Coach Campbell, to my teammates, and to USA Boxing for not only breaking the rules of the Athlete Code of Conduct, but also for my lack of candor regarding the circumstances of my absence from the Resident Program.
"Coach Campbell and USA Boxing gave me every opportunity to return to the program so that I could compete in Beijing, and I was irresponsible in ignoring their flexibility, and not forthcoming with them throughout my absence."
Yanez reached his deal for reinstatement just two days after USA Boxing's judicial committee upheld the organization's decision to ban him. Yanez was scheduled to put his case before an independent arbitrator this week.
"Luis is a young man who has recognized and admitted poor judgment about his actions over the past month, and has apologized to his teammates and coaches," Millman said in a statement.
Yanez is a two-time U.S. champion who won a gold medal at the Pan-Am Games last year, but chafed under the pressures of USA Boxing's yearlong residency training program. During his absence in June, he skipped a training trip to Argentina, instead attending a send-off dinner in Dallas where a Texas state representative gave him a commemorative plaque.
When Yanez finally got back in contact with his coaches, he was reluctant to say why he had missed workouts. He eventually said he was caring for his sister and her four children while she went through rehabilitation for an addiction to crack *******, but the team still barred Yanez from the U.S. Olympic Training Center.
USA Boxing's residency program, revived by Campbell after a 24-year absence, has caused friction with several boxers who wanted more work with their hometown coaches. Campbell demanded residency to foster teamwork and to improve the long-struggling team's adaptation to the international game.
USA Boxing reinstated Luis Yanez to the Olympic team Wednesday, more than two weeks after the light flyweight was kicked off the Beijing roster for missing several weeks of workouts.
Yanez was dropped from the team after he was absent for most of June from the Olympic team's residency training program in Colorado Springs. Coach Dan Campbell and USA Boxing CEO Jim Millman said they didn't hear from Yanez, who was home in Duncanville, Texas, until shortly before they sent a formal letter setting a final deadline for his return.
Yanez is expected to rejoin his teammates in Colorado Springs on Wednesday. The team will head to San Jose, Calif., on Monday for final processing before leaving for Beijing next week.
"It all worked out for the best," Yanez family spokesman Michael Montoya told The Associated Press. "We're all very happy, very excited. His whole attitude has turned around just completely. He's looking forward to getting back to camp, putting this behind us and taking care of business."
Montoya said Yanez already is close to his 106-pound fighting weight after several weeks of daily workouts with Dennis Rodarte, his longtime coach.
Yanez agreed to pay a fine, undergo sports counseling and make a public apology. He also will personally apologize to his teammates and keep from making public remarks on the case.
"I want to thank USA Boxing for its understanding and sense of forgiveness," Yanez said in a statement. "I sincerely apologize to Head Coach Campbell, to my teammates, and to USA Boxing for not only breaking the rules of the Athlete Code of Conduct, but also for my lack of candor regarding the circumstances of my absence from the Resident Program.
"Coach Campbell and USA Boxing gave me every opportunity to return to the program so that I could compete in Beijing, and I was irresponsible in ignoring their flexibility, and not forthcoming with them throughout my absence."
Yanez reached his deal for reinstatement just two days after USA Boxing's judicial committee upheld the organization's decision to ban him. Yanez was scheduled to put his case before an independent arbitrator this week.
"Luis is a young man who has recognized and admitted poor judgment about his actions over the past month, and has apologized to his teammates and coaches," Millman said in a statement.
Yanez is a two-time U.S. champion who won a gold medal at the Pan-Am Games last year, but chafed under the pressures of USA Boxing's yearlong residency training program. During his absence in June, he skipped a training trip to Argentina, instead attending a send-off dinner in Dallas where a Texas state representative gave him a commemorative plaque.
When Yanez finally got back in contact with his coaches, he was reluctant to say why he had missed workouts. He eventually said he was caring for his sister and her four children while she went through rehabilitation for an addiction to crack *******, but the team still barred Yanez from the U.S. Olympic Training Center.
USA Boxing's residency program, revived by Campbell after a 24-year absence, has caused friction with several boxers who wanted more work with their hometown coaches. Campbell demanded residency to foster teamwork and to improve the long-struggling team's adaptation to the international game.
Comment