CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (ESPN CLARKSVILLE) – The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) recently ruled that Clarksville Academy’s (CA) football and boys basketball teams must forfeit eight and six games respectively due to ineligible players.
According to a letter sent to CA from the TSSAA and provided to ESPN Clarksville, Clarksville Academy self-reported the ineligible players. Based on the information submitted, both students transferred to the school and repeated their junior years in order to meet academic graduation requirements. This means the students entered a ninth semester of high school, putting them in violation of the Eight-Semester Rule.
The TSSAA requires CA to write letters to the teams that played against the ineligible players, forfeit eight football games and six basketball games, pay a $250 fine, and ensure the ineligible athletes no longer participate in school sports activities.
“The newly established Athletic Compliance Review Board recently began reviewing student athlete files. During this review we found a potential inadvertent violation of the eight semester rule,” CA Marketing Director Sally Allen told ESPN Clarksville. “We immediately removed the students from the TSSAA athletic eligibility list and self reported this finding. The CA Athletic Compliance Review Board continues to strive to comply with TSSAA rules and regulations.”