The allegation was presented to the FHSAA on Monday and the association began its investigation. Craig Damon, executive director of the FHSAA, confirmed that the organization has “reached out” to the school for more information about the student-athlete in question.
The student-athlete’s transcript, which was obtained by The Palm Beach Post, indicates that his first semester of high school was at a Miami-Dade public school in the fall of 2020. Three days into his freshman year, the student dropped out and eventually took online courses.
According to FHSAA rules, students are only eligible to participate in sports for eight consecutive semesters beginning with the first semester of ninth grade. That means the Miami Northwestern student would have exhausted all of his eligibility after the spring 2024 semester.
Bridgewater is in his first season coaching Miami Northwestern, his alma mater, and the team is currently the No. 1 seed in Region 4 of the Class 3A playoffs. Last weekend, the Bulls defeated Barron Collier by a score of 69-0 in the regional quarterfinals and are scheduled to face Lely in the regional semifinal this weekend.
If Miami Northwestern is found to have used an ineligible player, it will have to forfeit all games in which that player participated. For now, the playoff game against Lely is still on, and coach Ben Hammer said his team remains focused on playing the Bulls.
“We will control the things we can control and not worry about the things that are out of our control,” Hammer said. “We will be prepared to put our best product on the field on Friday.”
This is not the first time this season that a Miami-based school has been accused of using an ineligible player. Shortly before the playoffs, Miami Central lost eight games and missed the postseason after reporting a player was ineligible.
