IUSF lifts ban on coach

Fourteen months after receiving a lifetime ban from the Little 500, Team Major Taylor coach Courtney Bishop has been reinstated by the IU Student Foundation.\n“It’s great to be back,” Bishop said. “I’ve been shocked before, so the decision is what the decision is.”\nIUSF Director Jenny Bruffey said the foundation lifted Bishop’s ban Friday, the same day the organization reversed a rule that banned alumni from coaching in the pits during the race.\n“There had been some negative behavior, but he wasn’t he only person that had negative behavior in the past,” Bruffey said. “We just thought if we were going to open everything up to all alumni, he should be included in that as well.”\nBishop barked out signals to his team from the infield at Saturday’s qualifications.\nIUSF issued a lifetime ban to Bishop for allegedly promising riders scholarships in exchange for participating on TMT, according to an Indiana Daily Student article published in January 2006. Offering riders scholarships to participate in the race is a violation of race rules.\nFormer TMT riders Dante Pryor and Julio German told the University that Bishop never delivered on his promise to provide scholarships for riding in the Little 500.\nAt the time, Bishop said the decision was “based on lies.”\nThe controversy continued last April when Bishop filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court against IU, the IU Foundation and its CEO Curtis R. Simic, the IUSF and Rob Rhamy, who was the former race coordinator for the IUSF. Bishop sought a temporary restraining order to allow him to coach and serve as a consultant for TMT, according to a May 2006 IDS article.\nBishop said he filed the suit so he could get his side of the story heard.\nWhen asked if legal issues forced IUSF’s decision, Little 500 race director Matthew Ewing said, “No, nothing with the courts at all.”\nEwing did not comment further on the specifics of the Bishop situation.\nBishop said he did not know why the rulings were made.\n“Who is to say what the reasoning behind it is? I’m really glad to be back, and I am glad for everyone else to be back,” Bishop said. “Whatever forces were at work, I’m just real thankful for (them). Sometimes you just let the big dogs work it out and things get done.”\n“This is the way it was supposed to be,” he said. “Major Taylor is always ready to contribute to the Little 500 in any way possible.”\n–Sports Editor Michael Sanserino contributed to this report.