KIPP football forfeits regular-season finale against Douglass

KIPP has forfeited Thursday night's regular-season football finale to Douglass because it didn't have enough players meet the school's grade requirement of a 2.5 GPA, KIPP coach Terrance Ayers said. 

"We have a GPA requirement in place at KIPP that student-athletes have to abide by. Parents sign contracts prior to the season about a certain GPA requirement that they have to meet and maintain throughout the course of the year," Ayers said. "Once that requirement is not met they follow up with different actions, probations and things like that. It’s a situation I’ve been battling all season where there’s not enough players week in and week out, so the thing was tonight we didn’t have enough players to go out there and compete."

Ayers said that KIPP (2-8, 2-6 8-2A) forfeited against Trezevant on Oct. 3 for the same reason. 

"It’s really unfortunate which is why I publicly apologized on Twitter to two of the seniors that I know on Douglass because it was their senior night," Ayers said. "I tried my best to make it happen, but it was something that the school decided to do and we came to a mutual agreement."

The first year KIPP coach said that it was mostly seniors who were facing the eligibility issues.

"Changing the culture hasn’t been the easiest thing with me either. I’m in my first year here at KIPP and getting to know the standards and trying to implement those things with the student-athletes this season," Ayers said. "It will affect the seniors, but as far as my juniors, sophomores and freshmen, I don’t have too many eligibility issues with those guys. It was mostly my seniors this year."

With the win, Douglass (6-4, 6-2) has secured the No. 3 seed from Region 8-2A in the playoffs and will face the No. 2 seed from Region 7-2A in next week's first round.