A proposal to overturn the reduction of games teams play has been tabled until September by the Florida High School Athletic Association on Friday during its Board of Directors meeting in Orlando.

The decision could result in a gender-equity lawsuit being filed.

To help school districts reduce costs, the FHSAA approved a measure that cut varsity sports schedules by 20 percent and junior varsity by 40 percent. Football was the only sport exempt. That decision has caused controversy.

Olympic swimming gold medalist Nancy Hogshead-Makar, a professor at Florida Coastal School of Law in Jacksonville, has threatened a Title IX lawsuit, claiming that the reduction discriminates against female student-athletes because all girls sports were affected.

She heads the organization Florida Parents for Athletic Equity.

''Our goal is to avoid litigation, but the board took action to table the items and find a resolution to this situation,'' FHSAA executive director Roger Dearing said.

The proposal that was introduced by board member Jeff Malloy, athletic director of Oak Hall High in Gainesville, was to rescind the decision to cut sports or to adopt one of several alternatives.

His reasoning was that the cuts actually hurt many schools and districts financially.

In the proposal, he claims, ``The FHSAA fails in its purpose when it knowingly does financial harm to one segment of the schools in a misguided attempt to help financially another segment of schools.''

The alternatives were:

• Eliminate the reductions for the upcoming school year and have school districts report how their athletic programs are funded and if the cuts will help or hurt them.

• Reduce the cuts to 10 percent for varsity sports and 20 percent for junior varsity.

• Eliminate the preseason classic tournaments and allow them to be considered regular-season contests, which would increase the number of contests by two.

NOTABLE

• American High named assistant Chance Benton its football coach. Benton worked as the interim coach for the Patriots during spring practices after Ben Aarestad stepped down in April.

• Belen Jesuit announced the hiring of Ralph Henriquez as its baseball coach. Henriquez is a graduate of Key West High.

• Miami Southridge basketball forward Denzel Wright signed with Brevard Community College. Wright, who is 6-5, averaged 18 points, nine rebounds and three blocks last season.

• The Dade-Broward private school baseball all-star game will be held at 6 p.m. Monday at Archbishop McCarthy High in Fort Lauderdale.

Miami Herald sportswriter Andre C. Fernandez contributed to this report.

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