Charity Volleyball Match Draws Suits

ATLANTA —  A volleyball game between professional athletes, billed as a charity event, was canceled amid lawsuits and charges that the sponsoring company failed to make clear its non--charitable status.

National Sports Charities, which sold $65,000 worth of tickets and advertising for the game, never was intended as a charitable organization, said co--founder Scott Davis.

The company, formed last March, billed itself in promotional material as a group of concerned professional athletes and business people who wanted to “help those in need.”

The game, scheduled Sunday at Georgia Tech to raise money for a handicapped children’s park, was to have featured pro football players from the Atlanta Falcons, but was canceled by Georgia Tech officials.

Davis and his partner Clarence Scott, a former Cleveland Browns defensive back, were sued last month by the state Governor’s Office of Consumer Affairs for allegedly using deceptive business practices and violating Georgia’s professional fund--raisers act.

Scott and his wife, Regina, who have left the company, also have filed suit against Davis. Davis has filed for bankruptcy protection for National Sports Charities.