FHSAA: No action will be taken against Miami Northwestern football
The Palm Beach Post | By Jon Santucci | December 2, 2024
Miami Northwestern High School’s pursuit of the Class 3A football state championship won’t have an asterisk next to it.
The Florida High School Athletic Association has determined that it will not take action against the Bulls for its alleged use of an ineligible player.
“The case was closed and no action was taken based on the information and supporting documentation provided by the member school,” FHSAA Administrator of Public Relations Kelvin Richardson wrote in an email to the USA Today Florida Network on Monday morning.
Northwestern (10-3, No. 3 seed Class 3A) is set to play at Eau Gallie (12-1, No. 2 seed) in a state semifinal on Friday.
Miami Northwestern quarterback Leon Strawder (#12) is brought down by Venice High defensive end Asharri Charles (#5) on a quarterback keeper. The Venice High Indians hosted the Miami Northwestern Bulls in a non-conference game Friday evening, August 30, 2024.
Northwestern has been outstanding during the regional playoffs, winning its three games by a combined score of 188-12.
The FHSAA received an allegation of Northwestern having a fifth-year player on Nov. 18, following its regional quarterfinal win against Barron Collier. Northwestern responded to the allegation on Nov. 19. The updated information showed the student was not in high school for the 2020-21 school year.
“The student was in 8th grade during the 2020-2021 school year based on the transcripts provided,” Richardson said. “The school also provided attendance records showing the student did not enter the 9th grade during the 2020-2021 school year.”
The USA Today Florida Network obtained the transcript of the Northwestern football player which shows the player initially enrolled at a Miami-Dade County public school in the fall of 2020 and that this fall is his ninth semester of high school.
The player in question, which the USA Today Florida Network is not naming for student privacy, withdrew from a Miami-Dade public school three days after starting his freshman year and later took virtual classes. Two Miami-Dade School District officials confirmed the transcript’s authenticity.
FHSAA Bylaw 9.5.1 states that a student is limited to eight consecutive semesters of eligibility beginning with the semester they begin ninth grade for the first time. After eight consecutive semesters, the student is permanently ineligible, according to FHSAA eligibility rules.
Northwestern rival Miami Central had to forfeit eight wins days before the postseason brackets were announced because it used an illegible player. Central self-reported using a fifth-year player and was fined $900 by the FHSAA and ultimately missed out on qualifying for the playoffs.
