Stevens Point (OnFocus) – Madison Edgewood’s lawsuit against the WIAA has been dismissed, affirming the WIAA’s judgement of the team’s forfeit and removal from the WIAA Playoffs.
The judge ruled Edgewood used a student who was ineligible to play and provided information to the WIAA on the student that was “ambiguous or outright misleading.”
Edgewood identified the student as Cam Fane. Fane is still finishing his high school degree due to transferring, but has completed eight semesters of high school.
Edgewood filed the lawsuit asking for a temporary injunction the same day it lost an appeal to the WIAA.
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Following the denial, Edgewood’s President Mike Elliot released the following statement:
“Today, a Dane County Circuit Court Judge denied our request for an injunction, so the WIAA ruling remains intact. We are, of course, very disappointed in this outcome. Neither Cam nor the Edgewood football team did anything wrong and do not deserve this type of treatment. The team worked extremely hard and earned the right to play in Saturday night’s game and beyond.
A technical error – raised nine months after the fact and that the team had no part in – should and could have been resolved earlier, and in a different manner. Our team did not deserve this penalty. Our school community did not deserve the scrutiny this accusation has caused.
I am proud of our team, our coaches, our parents and our students for how they have conducted themselves during these difficult times, in particular our senior Cam Fane, who is a champion in every respect. There is still a lot to be told in this story even though our team will not be playing for a state title, which they have earned and deserve. Though WIAA denied our appeal, we sincerely hope they address the gray areas this case has highlighted so no other team has to experience this harsh and heartbreaking outcome.
As a community, we will come together to heal, and we will move forward. But we will never be able to correct the injustice our excellent 2021 football team and our entire school community have had to endure.
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2021 OnFocus Level 1 Football Playoffs Scoreboard
OnFocus 2021 High School Football Season Weekly Scoreboards
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Author: David Keech
David Keech is a retired teacher and works as a sportswriter, sports official and as an educational consultant. He has reported on amateur sports since 2011, known as 'KeechDaVoice.' David can be reached at [email protected]
