GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — According to court paperwork filed with the Michigan Court of Appeals in downtown Grand Rapids, the Michigan High School Athletic Association obtained video evidence that a player did not make a complete move that would have allowed the player to play football at Grand Rapids Catholic Central for the 2026 season.
The player deemed ineligible by the MHSAA previously played at Comstock Park, the records show. Comstock Park and Catholic Central were set to play in the playoffs on October 30. The court paperwork says that the MHSAA received the video on October 26.
According to court records, the video shows a “potential buyer” touring the family’s home with the ineligible player’s grandfather, who was serving as a realtor. The video is said to contain images of the home with family photos on the wall, food in the fridge and clothes in the closet. The MHSAA requires a student be fully moved to be eligible to play a sport at a different school for back-to-back seasons for the same sport.
Watch: Court filings: MHSAA cites video evidence in Grand Rapids Catholic Central eligibility dispute
Previously, the MHSAA determined the ineligible player was eligible to play for the 2026 season.
Court records say the decision that the player was eligible was made with the understanding that the family’s home was being rented to a non-family member from July 2026 to July 2027.
The rules regarding moves are in place to prevent students from changing schools for athletically motivated reasons, according to the MHSAA.
Attorneys representing the MHSAA requested that the decision by the Court of Appeals be made quickly, saying in their filing that the Kent County Circuit Court should not have granted a temporary restraining order that requires the game to happen before Nov. 3 at 7 p.m.
The MHSAA’s representatives, according to court records, maintain that the game, which is currently scheduled for Tuesday, should not be played because it is not fair to schools and players who abided by the rules.
FOX 17 reached out to the attorney representing the Grand Rapids Catholic Central student who filed the lawsuit that resulted in the game being put back on after being called off.
That student is not the ineligible player, but rather a different player on the GRCC team. The attorney said that, due to the rapidly developing nature of the situation, there is no formal comment at this time.
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