Mansfield, MIAA go to court

School wins injunction; appeal planned today

TAUNTON - The football has yet to be kicked off in the Mansfield-Bishop Feehan playoff game, but the legal battle has been engaged.

The Division 2 semifinal, originally scheduled to be played yesterday, had been declared a forfeit Monday when the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association learned from Mansfield that the school may have used an ineligible player in two games this season.

Yesterday, Mansfield was granted a temporary injunction in Taunton Superior Court allowing it to play the game tonight.

But the MIAA announced last night that it will file a motion with the Massachusetts Court of Appeals to overturn that decision, and should the motion be granted, the game would be canceled and Bishop Feehan would advance to Saturday's Super Bowl to meet Walpole.

As it stands, Mansfield and Bishop Feehan are scheduled to play tonight at 7 at Bridgewater-Raynham High School - pending a ruling by the Court of Appeals.

Mansfield principal Joseph Maruszczak appealed the original forfeit decision to the MIAA yesterday morning, but MIAA executive director Richard Neal declined the request on the basis that there was not enough time to assemble a review board, and noting that the Sept. 22 deadline to apply for a waiver on a fifth-year player had passed.

But Judge John P. Connor Jr. granted the injunction following an afternoon session that started an hour later than anticipated at 3 p.m. and featured an hour's worth of arguments. Connor deliberated for more than a half-hour before giving his decision, in which he pointed to the MIAA's member handbook that says schools will be given the chance to appeal any punishment before the organization's board of directors.

"We were hopeful all day," said Mansfield coach Mike Redding. "We're not surprised. I think it's the best decision. It allows us to play and it's a chance for the school system to appeal the decision, hear all the circumstances involved, and maybe reduce the penalty and avoid forfeiture.

"Hopefully we get to play and have a great game with Bishop Feehan, then sort this out in the next few days."

The counsel for Mansfield argued that the school had not been given a chance to tell its side of the story to the MIAA. In fact, Mansfield officials claim they hadn't even determined that the player in question was ineligible when they self-reported the incident Monday afternoon.

According to Redding, an MIAA official phoned Mansfield around 5:30 p.m. to alert the school that it would forfeit both games the player had participated in and the playoff game.

Noting that Mansfield officials "acted in good faith" and "no one did anything intentionally wrong," Connor issued the injunction while noting that no harm could come to either the MIAA or Mansfield if the game went on as scheduled.

Connor surmised that, should the MIAA ultimately find Mansfield at fault, it could simply declare the playoff game a forfeit should Mansfield win.

The news was met with cheers in Mansfield, where the players had gathered in the locker room around 2 p.m. to await the decision. The players were dressed in pads, with an intrasquad scrimmage planned if the injunction had been denied.

"They're thrilled," said Redding. "They're excited to play another 40 minutes together. Win or lose, I think they wanted one more chance together against a great opponent like Bishop Feehan.

"It's a great rivalry. I think Feehan will be just as excited, I think they wanted to play this game and didn't want a free pass to the Super Bowl."

Even if the game is played tonight, Saturday's Division 2 Super Bowl could be in jeopardy, as it will be another quick turnaround for the winning team.

According to Redding, word began circulating about a potentially ineligible player during last Wednesday's pep rally for the Thanksgiving game against Foxboro. Redding held the player out of that game (not unusual, as he played only seven downs in two lopsided victories) and met with him over the weekend.

On Monday, the school reported the finding to the MIAA to start the process of determining his eligibility. School officials never expected such a swift punishment.

And while MIAA rules state that any waiver for the fall season must be granted by Sept. 22, Connor found fault in the fact that no appeal process had been given by the organization.

The MIAA argued that it would have been impossible to convene its 17-member board of directors before the scheduled playoff game.