Penalties against Gray Collegiate upheld. Here’s what it means for team’s season
Gray Collegiate’s football season took a big hit on Thursday.
The South Carolina High School League’s executive committee voted 10-2 in favor of upholding sanctions levied against the War Eagles’ football program from the use of an ineligible player. The penalties include a $500 fine and forfeiting all of the wins from games the player in question appeared in this year.
It was revealed in the meeting that the player in question dressed for all six of Gray’s region contests.
According to Section 16 of the SCHSL by-laws, “the use of an ineligible player can subject a school to suspension, probation and/or fine,” and “if a school is forced to forfeit more than one game that affects playoff seeding, the school shall be ineligible for the playoffs in that sport.”
“He would not have been participating if we weren’t 100 percent confident he was eligible,” Gray principal Brian Newsome said in the hearing. “We felt we followed the letter of the rule.”
The school confirmed it will appeal the decision before the SCHSL appellate panel in an effort to keep their season alive. The appellate panel hearing will likely be scheduled for Monday.
“This appeal will give GCA an opportunity to reiterate specific areas of concern with the SCHSL Executive Committee decision,” Gray said Thursday afternoon in a prepared statement. “GCA takes its standing within the SCHSL very seriously as well as the eligibility of our student-athletes. GCA must act to protect its student-athletes and their families who have exercised their right to public school choice under South Carolina law from being irreparably harmed in their educational experience.”
But first, Gray Collegiate (7-2) will play Friday against North Augusta for what was supposed to be for the Region 4-4A championship. The War Eagles enter the game projected as a top four seed in the Class 4A Lower State playoffs — but they’ll need to win a final appeal to make the postseason.
The 4A playoff brackets will be released Saturday and, because of Thursday’s ruling, won’t include Gray in that schedule. If Gray wins the final appeal, the playoff brackets will be redone to account for the War Eagles.
The SCHSL presented testimony that said the student’s family didn’t meet the full requirements for a “bona fide change of residence” to the Gray attendance zone. The league presented evidence that said the family moved to West Columbia but kept their previous home and address in the Richland 1 school district.
According to testimony, the student’s aunt now lives at the previous address and the family uses that address so the student’s sister can continue to attend a school in Richland 1. Gray, however, presented testimony that the sister moved and lives with the family in West Columbia.
Among the league’s bylaws regarding making a full change of address, it says that “under no circumstances can a family have two residences for eligibility purposes” and that “the original residence must be clearly closed as the residence of the family and must not be used by the family.”
This is the second-straight week Gray Collegiate was hit with a penalty. Last week, the SCHSL executive committee voted 10-5 to suspend head coach D’Angelo Bryant and an assistant coach for the rest of the year for a violation of the league’s rules on recruiting.
Gray also was fined $2,500 and placed on warning status for one year. Bryant’s suspension includes the regular season and the postseason. The War Eagles chose not to make a second appeal with that case before the league’s appellate panel.
This story was originally published November 7, 2024 at 12:43 PM.
