UPDATE: We have the petition which halted Sunday's planned release of the high school football playoff brackets.
The Petition for Temporary Restraining Order was filed Monday morning in Baton Rouge court by University Laboratory High School against the Louisiana High School Athletic Association (LHSAA). You can read it yourself by scrolling down.
The petition was filed "to prevent (LHSAA) from doing exactly what its bylaws prohibit it from doing," the plaintiffs wrote.
The petition alleges that, the day before their second to last game, the LHSAA informed their director that another school, Liberty Magnet HIgh School in Baton Rouge, filed a complaint alleging that two players were ineligible.
That October 30 email stated that LHSAA compliance personnel were going to "gather facts and findings" and asked for a written statement - and stated that during the process the two boys could not play football.
The allegation by Liberty Magnet is that two students who transfered from Liberty to U High. Those schools share a "home athletic attendance zone," and Liberty alleged that these improper transfers had happened before.
One student had attended Liberty for the 2022 football season, transferred to U High in January 2023 and started with the U High team that fall. The other student played at Liberty in 2023 and transferred to U High in January 2024, playing for U High this fall.
Liberty alleged that they did not receive the proper forms from U High for either student.
U High submitted its written statement on the situation the same day the LHSAA requested it, explaining its process to determine athlete eligibility. They used the school system's site, which stated that both students lived in the McKinley High School zone. The school system's site doesn't give an attendance zone for Liberty High, the suit states.
U High believes both students are eligible to play for their team, the suit states. But, the school followed the LHSAA's orders and neither student played in the next game.
This past Monday, LHSAA notified U High of a penalty ruling, placing the school's football program and head coach on administrative probation for a year, stripping the team of its eight wins in the current season, and forfeiting the final four games of the 2023 season, along with $500 in fines.
One student, a senior, was ruled in eligible for the next four games of this season, and the other student, a junior, is ineligible for the first eight games of the 2025 season.
Those penalties violated LHSAA's own rules, the petition alleges.
The petition alleges that LHSAA rules prohibit the organization "from conducting an investigation of alleged rule violations reported by another member school during the last ten days before the end of the regular season and through the end of that sport's championship game."
This rule "was adopted to prevent the LHSAA from doing exactly what it has done in this case and the very irreperable harm and disruption that it has caused and continues to cause," the petition states.
Liberty didn't report the alleged violations until October 28, the petition alleges.
Additionally, the rules put a "statute of limitations" on allegations, and the time limit for ineligibility is a year. That means that, even if the senior was ineligible, he became ineligible in January 2023 when he transferred - which was more than a year ago.
And, if U High is guilty of failing to transfer paperwork on time, the LHSAA's rules state that carries a $100 fine.
The petition also alleges that the LHSAA has violated the school's right to due process in the way the investigation was handled, which it alleges was "arbitrary and capricious."
Here's the petition:
Here's our original story:
The Louisiana High School Athletic Association (LHSAA) announced Friday they will delay the release of the 2024 postseason football brackets due to ongoing litigation with a member school.
"This situation could affect all 307 schools that participate in football across the state. Given the possible repercussions of the decision made, the LHSAA will withhold all eight postseason brackets until the legal process is concluded and the matter is fully resolved," a release states. "We appreciate the understanding and patience of our member schools and fans as we work through this important issue."
The brackets were scheduled to be released on Sunday.
The LHSAA didn't release any other details, but our media partners at The Advocate reported this week that University High School in Baton Rouge's seven season wins had been changed to forfeit losses after rumors circulated about the school being investigated for having a possibly ineligible player.
To read The Advocate's full story, click here.
