'84 Chronology-Cloudy Situation

Event Date: January 25th, 1984

Event Description: Court Date

Source: United Press International

Billy Sims goes to U.S. District Court on Wednesday for a suit that should decide whether he's a star running back for the USFL Houston Gamblers or the NFL Detroit Lions.

Sims signed a five-year, multi-million dollar contract with the United States Football League expansion team on July 1 and signed a similar pact with the same team in November.

Then, on Dec. 16, Sims signed a five-year contract for more money with the Lions, where he has played the past four years.

U.S. District Court Judge Robert DeMascio will determine which of the two contracts the 1978 Heisman Trophy winner from Oklahoma should honor.

Clouding the situation is the fact that one of the Houston owners is Dr. Jerry Argovitz, former dentist who negotiated Sims' original pact with the Lions and also signed the running back to his contract with the USFL team. Argovitz received a commission of nearly $200,000 for signing Sims for the Gamblers.

“I think this is a relatively simple case,” Sims' attorney, Elbert Hatchett, said, “of whether he can be forced to honor the Argovitz contract. I don't think it'll take a lot of witnesses to determine that he doesn't.”

Hatchett said his case would take less than two days to present. Attorneys for Argovitz say their case could take a week.

Sims and the Lions originally filed a joint suit in Oakland County Circuit Court last year but that was transferred to federal court. The suit charges Argovitz with fraud and misrepresentation while representing Sims in contract talks with Detroit.

Judge DeMascio on Monday ruled the Lions have no standing to assert Sims' rights on his behalf and dropped them from the suit.

The Lions also have a suit for damages against Argovitz and the Gamblers but that will only come to trial, at a later date, if DeMascio decides Sims' contract with Detroit is valid.

Currently, the only question being decided is which contract is valid. Sims accepted part of his bonus money from Argovitz in July -- and also was given a $1 million bonus for signing with Detroit.

Story-(UPI)