High School SportsWednesday, November 11
A Denton County judge denies Liberty Christian's request to pause its removal from the playoffs
The Daily Denton team
A Denton County judge turned down Liberty Christian's request Tuesday to pause the Warriors' removal from the TAPPS playoffs. Judge Bruce McFarling of the 362nd Judicial District Court said courts can't overrule a private organization unless its act was illegal or denied due process. He said the school had due process through TAPPS committees. He didn't decide whether the player was eligible.
Liberty Christian lost its TAPPS ruling and then its court request
- Nov. 3TAPPS Executive Board rules Liberty Christian broke its “Follow the Coach” rule
- Nov. 10Judge denies Liberty Christian's request for a temporary restraining order
- Nov. 14Opening round of TAPPS's redrawn eight-team bracket is set after a delay
Sources: Cross Timbers Gazette, CBS Texas
TAPPS says senior wide receiver Jace Johnson, a transfer from Abilene Cooper, broke the rule because he played on a 7-on-7 team coached by Liberty Christian assistant Antonio Griffin. NBC 5 also reported the judge's ruling. Cooper Witten, Jason Witten's son, isn't the player TAPPS ruled ineligible.
- Penalty: forfeit of every game the player played in
- Liberty Christian's next step: weighing “every possible option” to reverse it
TAPPS had to rebuild its playoff bracket
- 8
- teams in the redrawn Division I playoff bracket
- 12 months
- window for a coach's contact with a transfer under the rule
- No. 1
- seed Liberty Christian held before the ruling
Source: CBS Texas