97 Johnson 15hp won’t let me pull start in neutral but will in reverse

[akirsch7]

I have a 15HP 97 Johnson rope start that when I go to start,it won’t allow me to pull in neutral it’s like it’s locked up, however it will start in reverse and all gears work normal once it’s running. Has anyone else run into this? I looked at the plunger starter lockout and everything seems to be fine. There doesn’t appear to be any plastic broken off. Any help would be greatly appreciated