September 9, 2002
Huffy Sports Company Announces Recall to Repair Portable Basketball Hoops

Huffy Sports Company, of Sussex, Wis., is recalling about 70,000 portable basketball systems. The basketball hoops can have a sharp protruding bolt on the player's side of the pole that can cause serious leg or body lacerations to consumers. Basketball players can be cut when they collide with the pole as they drive toward the basket or when they fall or are pushed into the pole.

Huffy Sports has received 11 reports of injuries from protruding bolts that include scrapes and lacerations. Ten consumers required stitches for their injuries.

These are portable, vertically mounted Huffy-brand basketball systems that come unassembled with a plastic base that is weighted down by either sand or water that is added during assembly. The basketball poles are painted black and the Huffy brand name appears on the backboard, main pole, or plastic base. The protruding bolt on the player side of the pole is located about 20-inches from the ground. Sporting good, department and toy stores sold the Huffy-brand portable basketball systems from November 2001 through May 2002 for between $100 and $200.

Consumers should examine their units immediately. If there is a protruding bolt in the area of play, contact Huffy Sports to receive free bolt covers. Consumers can contact Huffy Sports at (800) 558-5234 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. CST Monday through Friday or the firm's web site at http://www.huffysports.com/Sept_9_02_CPSC_Press_Release.htm