Fayetteville forfeits six games, goes from Region 5-1A champion to out of playoffs

Fayetteville must forfeit seven high school football games and will miss the Tennessee high school football playoffs after the TSSAA determined the school played an ineligible transfer player in six of the school's first seven games.

The school must also pay a $600 fine.

Fayetteville was previously 9-0, 5-0 in Region 5-1A before the forfeits. The program is now 3-6, 0-5.

The TSSAA originally ruled the school must forfeit its first seven games, but the school provided information that the athlete was injured and did not play in a 43-12 win over non-region opponent Zion Christian, TSSAA assistant director Gene Menees told The Tennessean on Friday.

The transfer athlete did not move into the school system's territory, as defined by the TSSAA's bylaws, according to a letter to Fayetteville principal Adam McCormick from Menees.

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The athlete's address was not within Fayetteville's city limits, which made it outside of the school's territory, the TSSAA determined.

The TSSAA's bylaws define a public school's territory as the "geographic boundaries and bus routes of the area served by that school as established by the local board of education," according to the letter.

Fayetteville city director of schools Janine Wilson wrote on Oct. 21 to the TSSAA that, under Fayetteville city school board policy, the board recognizes the lines of Lincoln County to be the defined territory and geographic area that the system serves.

However, the TSSAA reviewed the school system's website and wrote that according to the site, attendance at Fayetteville High School is open to all Lincoln County residents, but transportation is only provided by students in the Fayetteville city limits.

The athlete was eligible to attend Lincoln County High School. 

Since TSSAA bylaws take into account both geographic boundaries and bus routes, the transfer athlete is not eligible to play for Fayetteville.

Reach Tom Kreager at 615-259-8089 or tkreager@tennessean.com and on Twitter @Kreager.