NEW ORLEANS — The Times-Picayune | New Orleans Advocate reported that the Brother Martin football team must forfeit its first five wins because of the misinterpretation of an academic eligibility rule that caused two football players to be suspended from play.
The school has requested an emergency appeal hearing with the LHSAA.
“Our goal to win a state championship is still very much within our grasp,” Brother Martin principal Ryan Gallagher said. “Our road will probably be tougher, but these young men under the leadership of (head coach) Mark Bonis and his staff will find a way to overcome obstacles just as they always have.”
LHSAA found out that one of the Crusaders was ineligible when they did their standard checks of fall rosters. After that Brother Martin found that a second player was ineligible when they redid their eligibility reports.
“We were shocked to learn of this because we’ve calculated eligibility in the same consistent manner every year,” Gallagher said.
Their record is now 1-5 overall and 0-4 in the Catholic League.
The five forfeits take away wins against East Ascension, Jesuit, St. Augustine, Rummel, and Shaw.
Brother Martin still has regular-season games against Holy Cross and Curtis.
“With all of the things that have happened to me personally over the last three years, one thing that I have learned is to be truly thankful for both blessings and adversity. As a man of faith, I believe with the right approach that success can arise in the face of adversity. Regardless of the outcome, I look forward to the opportunity our young men have to showcase their God-given gifts of resiliency and toughness,” Bonis said.