LAST WORD

He had been sanctioned for life based on a set of allegations. Those allegations were not proven, and so he’s no longer under any sanction.”

Howard Jacobs, attorney for two-time Olympic taekwondo champion Steven Lopez, after an arbitrator vacated a permanent ban against his client, setting aside the U.S. Center for SafeSport’s finding that he violated its code of conduct for sexual misconduct involving a minor. The decision issued by Jeff Kaplan on Monday, which was obtained by USA TODAY, reinstates Lopez after the center had declared him permanently ineligible in September. SafeSport spokesman Dan Hill cited the center’s policy in declining to discuss the specifics of the case.