Texas high school football coach suspended two years over eligibility violations
Blue Ridge football coach Jason Russell was suspended for two years and issued three years of probation after six players were ruled ineligible, costing the North Texas school a playoff berth. (Courtesy of Blue Ridge ISD)
A Texas high school football coach has been suspended for two years after investigators found he used six ineligible athletes to gain a competitive advantage.
Blue Ridge High School head football coach and athletic director Jason Russell was suspended through the 2027-28 academic year and placed on three years of probation after a University Interscholastic League State Executive Committee hearing Thursday, Nov. 12.
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Blue Ridge is in Collin County, about 50 miles northeast of Dallas.
A district executive committee determined Oct. 23 that Russell played six ineligible athletes, resulting in Blue Ridge being barred from this season's playoffs, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The district committee also placed the school on one year of probation and issued a written reprimand.
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Russell, who was placed on administrative leave Oct. 5, acknowledged that he failed to properly verify the eligibility of several homeschooled athletes who transferred into the district. He maintained the violations were unintentional and blamed clerical errors.
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"I would never intentionally put my district, my career or my team in jeopardy like that," Russell said, according to the Star-Telegram.
UIL officials criticized Russell's explanations, saying eligibility requirements for homeschooled athletes were clear.
The state committee did not impose additional penalties on Blue Ridge ISD. The district is reviewing its eligibility procedures to prevent future violations.
Separately, the committee denied varsity eligibility appeals for student-athletes from Blue Ridge and Belton high schools. It granted an appeal for a student-athlete from Amarillo Tascosa High School, pending a residency waiver, after determining the student had not transferred for athletic purposes.
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This article originally published at Texas high school football coach suspended two years over eligibility violations.
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