U.S. court keeps college football player sidelined in heatstroke case

(Adds Towson statement, paragraphs 8-10) By Steve Ginsburg Nov 13 (Reuters) - A U.S. federal appeals court in Virginia ruled on Friday that a college football player who nearly died from heatstroke during a practice two years ago cannot rejoin the team at Towson University in Maryland, overturning a lower court's decision. The case involves Gavin Class, who was an offensive lineman on Towson's team but had been blocked by the school from returning to the squad after he collapsed during an August 2013 practice, with his body temperature rising to 108 degrees Fahrenheit (42.2 Celsius). Class remained in a coma for nine days after he collapsed. He needed a liver transplant and 13 other operations to recover. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia ruled that the school acted reasonably in rejecting his bid to return to the field. "Giving deference to Towson University's judgment, as we are required to do, we uphold its determination," Circuit Judge Paul Niemeyer wrote. Doctors at the Maryland Medical Center cleared Class to resume playing football, but Towson refused because of the risk to his health and because the team's medical staff would be unable to adequately monitor his condition. Class, now a 22-year-old senior, had sued the suburban Baltimore school. A federal district judge then ordered Towson to let him play, but the appeals court overturned that ruling. Towson University issued a statement that praised Class "for his hard work, courage, and determination over the past two years" and said the ruling was "about more than ensuring the safety of one football player" at the school. "It is about ensuring the safety of current and future student-athletes by allowing team physicians, in the exercise of their professional judgment, to determine who may safely play and who may not," the statement read. "It is those current and future student-athletes who will benefit the most from today's ruling." (Reporting by Steve Ginsburg in Washington; editing by Will Dunham and David Gregorio)