The father of a high school football player who has been forced to step down from the Tantramar High School team says his son’s dreams are being dashed due to an unfair rule.
Ken Godfrey says his 15-year-old Aidan was devastated when he was pulled off the roster of the Tantramar high school football team in Sackville, New Brunswick, just over a week ago.
“It is heartbreaking. It was the most awful day I have put it in,” said Godfrey.
READ MORE: Racist abuse brings England-Bulgaria Euro 2020 soccer match to a halt — twice
He said his son moved to Amherst, N.S. with his mother, but Aidan was granted approval by the Anglophone East School District to attend Tantramar High.
With no high school football at Amherst High, Aidan said he wanted to play at the Sackville New Brunswick school and he tried out for the team and made it.
“I worked so hard to get here and now I can’t play,” said Aidan.
On October 5th, the grade 11 student was pulled out from the team after the New Brunswick Interscholastic Athletic Association discovered that he is not a New Brunswick resident.
Ken Godfrey said his son is heartbroken and he feels that the rules should be changed in circumstances where a student just wants to play ball and cannot do so just across the border.
He said that Aidan was in no way recruited for the team and will now have to wait until his grade 12 year to play in front of university scouts.
“It’s awful. The meeting we had here Friday morning ended in tears.”
Aidan now fears his dreams will be dashed.
READ MORE: HRM closing down Citadel High’s football practice field for maintenance, coach concerned
The NBIAA’s Executive Director, Allyson Ouellette stated in an email to Global News that “the student was deemed ineligible.”
- Life in the forest: How Stanley Park’s longest resident survived a changing landscape
- Bird flu risk to humans an ‘enormous concern,’ WHO says. Here’s what to know
- Roll Up To Win? Tim Hortons says $55K boat win email was ‘human error’
- Mental health support still lacking 4 years after mass shooting: Nova Scotia mayor
As per its bylaw penalties, the NBIAA also forced the team to forfeit 3 wins and suspended the coach for one game.
Aidan is now ineligible to play for 12 months but can try out again next year if he remains at the school according to the association.
Trantramar High School says it tried to appeal the decision, but the association denied the request.
Comments