Gainesville High School is now weighing potential legal action after the Georgia High School Association voted Tuesday during a virtual hearing to uphold suspensions for 35 players involved in last week’s playoff-game brawl against Brunswick, athletic director Adam Lindsey told FOX 5 Atlanta’s Aungelique Proctor.
The move keeps the majority of Gainesville’s roster sidelined for Friday’s Class 5A quarterfinal matchup against top-ranked Hughes, despite the school’s appeal and emotional testimony that many players did not participate in the fight.
PREVIOUS STORY: 4 Gainesville football players reinstated; dozens still suspended
How the brawl began
GHSA initially suspended 39 Gainesville players following the third-quarter melee in Brunswick.
Gainesville led 42–0 when video captured a Brunswick defender ripping off two Gainesville helmets and striking a player.
Moments later, players from both sidelines flooded the field. Officials ended the game with 1:57 remaining and awarded Gainesville the win.
Gainesville disputes the ruling
Gainesville’s leadership maintains their players were reacting out of protection, not aggression. Athletic Director Adam Lindsey said the game had been spiraling long before the fight.
“The game was out of hand very early… it wasn’t really being managed the right way from an official standpoint,” Lindsey said. He added that he warned players to stay composed: “If something happens, just walk away from it.”
Head Coach Josh Niblett echoed that the reaction was about loyalty.
“Our kids didn’t go out there to instigate anything… they went out there to have each other’s back and protect each other.”
Brunswick accepts GHSA sanctions
Brunswick High, meanwhile, says it will fully comply with the GHSA’s ruling, which includes 41 suspensions, a $5,000 fine, and a one-year postseason ban for its program.
PREVIOUS STORY: 41 Brunswick football players suspended, school fined $5K
Principal Slade Turner said the school submitted all game film and detailed player accounts to GHSA.
“What occurred during the game does not align with the expectations we set for our athletes,” Turner said, adding that Brunswick has begun its own disciplinary process under the Glynn County Code of Conduct.
Assistant Supt. Steve Waters thanked GHSA leadership for a swift resolution and said the program will focus on rebuilding.
“There is no place for incidents like this in education-based athletics,” Waters said.
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, legal challenges to GHSA decisions are not unprecedented. In 2023, a Superior Court judge temporarily blocked five forfeits issued against Cook High’s football team, prompting the GHSA Board of Trustees to reverse the penalties and restore the wins, ultimately making Cook playoff-eligible and ending the need for a court hearing.
A similar dispute arose in 2018, when the GHSA delayed the Class A Public baseball playoffs after a Charlton County judge issued an injunction over a forfeited game that had cost the school a region title and the No. 2 seed.
Gainesville High School hires law firm
FOX 5 has learned that the team is working with Harber, Hartley and Hawkins, LLP to file an injunction or restraining order to keep the ruling from taking place.
