The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-12-10
SIMS. IS INELIGIBLE
PROTEST OF AUBURN SUSTAINED
 BY ASSOCIATION.
Tom Bragg, Auburn's Representative At the sesvanee Meeting, Gives the Record of the sims
 Protest,

Sims, the big guard on the Univer- sity of Alabama team, who was profess ed by Auburn at the annual game be- tween Auburn and Alabama. is ineligi- ble to play under the rules of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Asso- citation and he was ineligible to play when he was put in the Birmingham game. He has been of1cially declared ineligible by an official of the South ern Intercollegiate Athletic Association who passed upon the protest Newspa- per publications to the contrary. a number of which have been made are erroneous and misleading.
 This is the positive assertion of Thomas Bragg, of Auburn, who was In the city last night. Mir. Bragg was re- turning from Sewanee, where he rep resented Auburn at the meeting of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic As sociAtion.
 Tt has been published in a number of papers that the Association over ruled the protest of Auburn and de- Glared that Sims was eligible to play. said MT. Bragg. 'On the contrary. Au- burns protest was sustained. Sims was declared ineligible on that protest The complaint was made to Vice Presi
 
 district in which Alabam ss located On the evidence we furnished, Professor Holmes declared sims ineligible. A notice to that effect was telegraphed the Auburn team. similar notice was telegraphed Dr. Eugene A. Smith of the University of Alabama Athletic Committee. But pr. Smith was in Bir- mingham on the day of the game and did not receive the notice. The man. agement of the University team declin- ed to be guided by the notice we reeeiv- ed and Sims was played.
 sims did not play in the Alabama Tennessee game. He did not play be- cause it was fully proven that he could not participate in under the rules of the Association.
 That protest was made in the in- terest of clean college athletics and for no other purpose The proof from be- ginning to end was concIusive that the big guard was not a bona fide stu dent of the University Of Alabama. It was simply your wish that football in Alabama should be absolutely free from every taint and suspicion of pro lfessionalism or illegality. Auburn does not and did not want any reversal by the Association authorities of the Bir- mingham game. Alabama had the strongest team and could have won without sims Auburn should be set EiShl anu the puDllc snouiu know what a protest against a player and made in good faith was sustained by Inter- collegiate Association. Her charges were fully proven"
 It should be said. however, that the Faculty Committee of the University of Alabama is absolutely blameless in this matter. This committee acted in good faith throughout. The blame is elsewhere.
 "Auburns hopes that Sims will be able to prove that he Is eligible. He can do this If any proofs he brings forward are satisfactory to Professor Holmes. Or, if the University care to do so, 1t can appeal from the decision of Professor Holmes to the Executive Committee of the s. I. A. A. I hope that one thing or the other will be done in the interest of clean college sports in Alabama.