The Marietta Blue Devils will likely be forced to forfeit every victory from the 2017-18 football season because multiple players were deemed ineligible after an investigation, a GHSA spokesperson confirmed to 11Alive.
The GHSA told 11Alive the ineligible players participated in every game last season. GHSA Bylaw 2.6.3 (f) states that if players are deemed ineligible, the minimum penalty is forfeiture of games. Fines can also be placed on the school.
The GHSA would not comment further because Marietta is appealing the investigation, and it is therefore active. However, on July 7, the lawyer for one of the ineligible students told 11Alive that the GHSA committee denied the appeal.
"We are saddened by the ruling by the GHSA Hardship Committee denying the appeal of Dawson Ellington's eligibility," the lawyer said. "It is unfortunate that, though Dawson nor his family committed no violations according to the GHSA's own Constitution and By-Laws, the GHSA instituted a harsh and unfair punishment on the student. We are exploring further legal options."
The student will continue to attend Marietta High School, even though he is no longer allowed to play football there.
Marietta City Schools said the two students transferred to Marietta last season and are allowed to attend the high school because each have parents that work in the school system. However, in June they became aware of potential GHSA violations because the parents worked at the elementary school, and GHSA bylaws require the parent to be a certified employee of the high school.
"The GHSA eligibility forms for the students in question incorrectly noted the respective parent of each student-athlete was a certified employee of the high school," Marietta City Schools explained in a statement.
Further investigation by the school system found that while one student had moved into the district at the time of enrollment, he had since moved out, becoming ineligible. The other student never made a bona fide move into the school's attendance zone.
According to the Marietta Daily Journal, the GHSA became aware of possible violations in May. There are also allegations of recruitment, according to the newspaper. Marietta said it looked into the allegations of recruitment and found no evidence of any wrongdoing.
"Further, extensive measures have been put in place to verify the residency of student-athletes who provide the required documentation to enroll as students at MHS," the statement said.
Marietta was coming off its best football season since 1994. The Blue Devils finished with eight wins, and made it to the 7A quarterfinals, where they lost to North Gwinnett.
