Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association
STEVENS POINT, WI (WSAU-WAOW) — A Portage County Judge has thrown out an appeal made by the Tomorrow River School District against a decision that shut the Amherst football team out of the playoffs for playing an ineligible player.
WAOW TV reports that the judge sided with the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association, saying it was the responsibility of the district to conduct a thorough investigation into the eligibility of one of their players before allowing him to play a snap during the season.
The case stems from a recent decision by the WIAA to forfeit all of Amherst’s wins this year. The player in question, who was not identified, participated in football during the 2018 season at another school.
The WIAA only allows players to be eligible for four consecutive seasons, beginning with the first year they participate. Meaning in this case the player exhausted their eligibility following the 2021 season.
The school argued that they had no way of knowing that the player had exhausted their eligibility. The WIAA counted that they could have dug deeper by interviewing parents or the player to confirm any missing details.
Amherst had previously said they would accept the decision and not appeal. That changed over the weekend when a GoFundMe account raised $20,000 for legal expenses to fight the case.
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