MONTREAL – The family of a nine-year-old Dollard boy who was told he was too heavy to carry the ball for his atom football team should learn the results of an appeal to reinstate him Wednesday.
The Sunnybrooke Chiefs were off to a strong start this season, cruising to a record of 4-1.
When they beat the Châteauguay Raiders 42-0, the staff asked to look at Synnybrooke’s roster registrations.
When they found that running back Shekai Mills Knight was one pound too heavy to legally carry the ball, the league ruled that the Chiefs must forfeit their four wins.
READ MORE: EXCLUSIVE: Ineligible? 9-year-old football player penalized after being deemed ‘too heavy’
According to mother Nesta Mills, the boy’s real weight is 101 lb.
She insisted it was recorded incorrectly at the weigh in.
“The children should just play. It’s not about adults, it’s about kids,” she told Global News.
“They need to play the game, have fun, you’re young only once.”
The situation immediately incensed the team and its community.
The Chiefs maintained the view that Mills Knight’s weight was the result of a clerical error that the opponents unfairly exploited.
The team lost an appeal with the league.
The results of a subsequent appeal to Football Quebec should be made public Wednesday, the family gave their input at the federation offices Monday night.
Châteauguay coaches contend they don’t enforce the rules – that’s the league’s job.
If Football Quebec rules in Mills Knight’s favour, it would lift the Chiefs to a record of 5-1 as they face-off against Saint-Laurent this week.
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