Gainesville to consider legal action after GHSA ruling on players’ suspensions
Gainesville might seek legal action over the Georgia High School Association’s decision Tuesday to keep 35 Gainesville football players suspended for Friday’s quarterfinal football game against Hughes, Gainesville High athletic director Adam Lindsey told the AJC.
“We are absolutely going to exhaust every option we have,” Lindsey said. “We’re certainly consulting with the school system attorney to determine our options. We don’t think it’s the right thing to do, to give up on our kids, so we’re going to fight and do everything we can to protect our kids like they did to protect each other on the field.”
Asked if that specifically meant filing a lawsuit or seeking an injunction, Lindsey said, “We’re certainly going to seek out whether that is an option for us.”
The GHSA suspended 39 Gainesville players and 41 Brunswick players and fined both schools $5,000 for a fight that began with 1:57 left in the third quarter of a game Gainesville led 42-0. The game was stopped and Gainesville declared the winner.
Brunswick was also given a one-year postseason ban for the football program.
Gainesville appealed 35 of the suspensions. The GHSA’s board of trustees voted to reinstate four on Tuesday.
Video showed the altercation began when a Brunswick player pulled the helmets off two Gainesville players and struck one of them. More than 20 players from each team left the sideline and rushed toward the fight.
Judges have intervened in GHSA rulings before. In 2023, a Superior Court judge issued a temporary restraining order on five forfeits the GHSA assessed to Cook’s football team until a hearing could be held. The GHSA’s board of trustees voted to restore the victories, making Cook eligible for the playoffs. The court hearing was called off.
In 2018, the GHSA postponed the Class A Public baseball playoffs to allow it time to challenge an injunction issued by a Charlton County judge. The GHSA had forced Charlton County High to forfeit a game that cost the team a region title and the No. 2 overall seed in the playoffs.
Lindsey criticized the GHSA for not considering the circumstances of the altercation and only whether players left the sideline or participated in the altercation.
“If the GHSA is going to review film, it can’t be a blanket ‘if you stepped on the field, you’re ejected,’” Lindsey said. “We’re asked to preach family and brotherhood, but when they act in that manner, we penalize them.”
Lindsey disagreed with how the GHSA ruled on what constitutes participating in the fight. He said some players already on the field when the fight began moved in the direction of the fight but did not physically engage in it and should be reinstated. They were not reinstated Tuesday.
Lindsey also questioned the interpretation of a GHSA rule that says ejected players who enter the field are subject to suspension. Lindsey noted the game officials did not eject any players who entered the field and they should not be subject to automatic suspensions but judged in context.
“We really felt like this was a great opportunity for (the GHSA’s board of trustees) to take a common-sense approach to the ruling and to the bylaw they’re trying to invoke,” Lindsey said. “We pointed out that nowhere in the bylaws does it say that if you step on the field that you’re immediately ejected.”
About the Author
Todd Holcomb covers high school sports across the state. He rejoined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2025 and has worked with the AJC in varying capacities since 1985. He is a co-founder and editor of Georgia High School Football Daily.
