Player hires attorney

Further distancing herself from the Chico State women's basketball program, Amber Simmons has hired an attorney to represent her case.

Attorney Leo Battle of Paradise sent a letter on behalf of Simmons to Athletic Director Anita Barker listing schools the former player wishes to contact, Battle said.

The letter, which was requested by Barker, came almost a month after Simmons announced intentions to leave the program.

"If we would have had the list earlier, we would have gone through the process," Barker said. "We probably would be a lot farther along."

According to NCAA bylaw 13.1.1.2, universities cannot contact players already in a four-year program without written permission from the player's athletic director.

This is where Battle and Barker part ways. The guidelines say nothing about providing a list of schools, Battle said.

"The athletic department is basically stonewalling this thing," he said.

Hiring Battle may slow Simmons' transfer process, Barker said.

Barker forwarded the case to the athletic department's legal counsel. Now it is in the hands of lawyers and may take longer to resolve, Barker said.

Regardless, Simmons has made it clear she will not return to the team next season.

"I told them I'm not going to stay," Simmons said. "I just want to get going with the process so I can enroll in another school."

Vince Abbate can be reached at vabbate@theorion.com

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See this related article:
• Zingg: University to address Simmons' transfer
Read what our assistant sports editor thinks of the situation:
• Who's on first: Ryan Klocke

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