Bellarmine’s football playoff season is still alive. At least temporarily.
According to the San Jose Mercury News, a Santa Clara County judge issued a temporary restraining order against the Central Coast Section, which on Monday ruled the Bells would have to forfeit their six wins this season for using an ineligible player.
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The CCS ruling could not be appealed according to section officials, so Bellarmine, as principal Rod Jemison promised, went to court. Superior Court Judge Panteha E. Saban rendered the TRO on Friday, with another hearing scheduled for Thursday, the Mercury News reported.
The problem with that is that the CCS starts its playoffs next week and plans to announce those pairings are scheduled for Sunday.
Bellarmine (6-3, 3-3 West Catholic Athletic League) closes its regular season Saturday at Riordan. Using a point system and MaxPreps computer rankings, the Bells are likely to be seeded in the bottom half of the CCS Division 1 bracket, the most competitive of the five divisions.
If the forfeits stand, the Bells will be 0-9 and couldn’t qualify for the CCS playoffs, even with a win at Riordan. But because of the judge’s order, Bellarmine would likely be back in unless the CCS delays its pairings to Thursday, which is highly unlikely.
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Messages to CCS Commissioner Dave Grissom were not immediately answered. Nor were they earlier in the week when the announcement of Bellarmine’s forfeits was made.
In a letter to parents attained by the Chronicle this week, Jemison wrote: “We do not dispute the violation occurred. However, we disagree with the severity of the associated consequences and their impact on the entire team.
“Bellarmine received notice of a violation of CIF Central Coast Section (CCS) by-laws regarding athletic eligibility for transfer students. The CCS Commissioner outlined consequences for the violation, including athletic ineligibility for the student-athlete in question and retroactive forfeiture of games in which that student participated.
“We acknowledge it is Bellarmine’s responsibility to ensure compliance and understanding of CIF and CCS regulations, and we are committed to identifying and addressing any gaps in our oversight.”
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A judge reportedly agreed that the punishment might have been too great and wants to discuss the issues.
If the CCS seeds Bellarmine into the Division 1 playoffs, then the court rules the forfeits were justisfied, what the section will do then will be of note. One possibility is that the team scheduled to play the Bells would receive a first-round bye.
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This article originally published at Report: Judge’s ruling could make Bellarmine eligible for CCS football playoffs.
