Judge Orders Glenville Football Team Back in Friday Playoff Game

Glenville High School football players will take the field tonight after a Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas judge ordered the team back into the playoffs. Judge Andrew Santoli issued a temporary restraining order on Friday, reversing the Ohio High School Athletic Association's move to remove the Tarblooders from competition. The decision allows the team to play University School in the first week of the postseason.

The OHSAA had stripped Glenville of its playoff spot on Thursday. State officials cited an investigation finding that students from Ginn Academy were inaccurately assigned to Glenville for athletic participation. Ginn Academy is a non-member magnet school that does not sponsor sports, but its students are permitted to play for the nearest CMSD school based on residency.

Dr. Warren Morgan, CEO of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, addressed the ruling during a news conference scheduled for 2 p.m. on Friday. Morgan stated that the district has provided new residency records for the student-athletes currently under review. He confirmed that the district is cooperating fully with state athletic officials regarding the matter.

The legal victory follows a series of recent events for the program. Two Glenville players were recently charged with theft after allegedly stealing merchandise from a Dick’s Sporting Goods location in Central Ohio. This is the second time in eight years that Glenville has been removed from the football playoffs for the same violation. In 2018, the team was fined $5,000 and placed on probation until 2011.

Family members of two Glenville football players filed the temporary restraining order that prompted the judge's ruling. The court granted the request on Friday, effectively reinstating the team's eligibility for tonight's game against University School.