Knapp v. Northwestern University
United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
101 F.3d 473 (1996)
Highly recruited basketball prospect Nicholas Knapp (plaintiff) suffered sudden cardiac death during a pickup game shortly before finishing high school, was revived, and had a cardioverter-defibrillator implanted to restart his heart if it stopped again; Northwestern University (Northwestern) (defendant) honored its scholarship commitment despite the episode, and Knapp signed a letter of intent, but the team physician later declared him permanently medically ineligible to play after consulting several other doctors, and Northwestern and the Big Ten Conference upheld that determination, though Knapp retained his scholarship and other athlete benefits while barred from practicing or playing. Knapp sued under section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act seeking an injunction to let him play, and the district court granted it, prompting Northwestern's appeal.
Whether an impairment that interferes with a student-athlete's ability to play intercollegiate athletics, but does not significantly decrease that student's ability to obtain a satisfactory education otherwise, substantially limits the major life activity of learning under the Rehabilitation Act.