Glenville High School’s football team will be allowed to compete in the postseason after an Ohio judge ruled that the Ohio High School Athletic Association banned the team from the playoffs before satisfactorily completing its investigation into ineligible players.
According to WKYC, OHSAA banned Glenville’s football team from the playoffs due to a lack of clarity surrounding student-athletes’ residency. Specifically, OHSAA claimed that the school could not verify the residencies of 10 student-athletes, but OHSAA made its postseason determination before completing the investigation or receiving all necessary documentation from the athletes in question.
As a result, the Cleveland Metropolitan School District sought a preliminary injunction to allow the team to compete while the investigation is ongoing.
Judge Andrew J. Santoli granted the preliminary injunction, claiming OHSAA’s ban was “arbitrary.” Santoli also “denied OHSAA’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit, rejecting the association’s arguments that the players lacked standing and that the Cleveland Metropolitan School District needed to be a party in the case.”
While the judge declared Glenville could compete in the playoffs, he did not have the authority to determine which team would advance or who Glenville would compete against.
In a statement, the OHSAA said, “The OHSAA agrees with the court’s conclusion within the order. The Court emphasizes that it is not asked, nor permitted, to determine who is entitled to play in the Playoffs. It is beyond the scope of this Court’s authority to order that one team be entered into the Playoffs over another, or that one team advance in the Playoffs over another. The court order included additional findings that the OHSAA will challenge in appellate court in Cleveland Wednesday morning. More information regarding Salem’s playoff opponent this Friday will be released Wednesday. The OHSAA has stayed in communication with Salem and appreciates the school’s cooperation and patience.”
“No single student-athlete on Glenville’s football program has been declared ineligible under OHSAA’s Bylaws,” Santoli wrote, noting that OHSAA’s own bylaws do not provide a specific process or deadline for verifying student’s addresses and that the players would suffer irreparable harm if they were denied a chance to compete in the playoff spot Glenville had earned.
