The Southern Section has declared five football transfers to Bishop Montgomery ineligible for violating CIF rule 202, which is a bylaw about providing false information and comes with a penalty of up to two years of ineligibility.
Bishop Montgomery has been under scrutiny for months because of numerous transfer students, coaching changes and a decision to try to upgrade the program by scheduling powerhouses Mater Dei and Honolulu (Hawaii) Saint Louis.
The Southern Section could offer no response until paperwork was submitted by the school. Now those five players, plus potentially others, are facing the possibility of missing the 2025 and 2026 seasons.
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles replaced the president and principal of Bishop Montgomery during the 2024-25 school year. New president Patrick Lee is a former St. John Bosco administrator.
Southern Section spokesman Thom Simmons confirmed on Wednesday that commissioner Mike West visited Bishop Montgomery on Tuesday to speak with the school’s principal and athletic director.
The Archdiocese issued the following statement: “The Department of Catholic Schools (DCS) of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles affirms its ongoing commitment to the highest standards of student inclusion and excellence in all their interscholastic athletic programs. Bishop Montgomery High School informed DSC late yesterday afternoon of the decision by the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Southern Section (SS) to deem five students ineligible to participate this season in the football program, while several others were deemed eligible, or will sit-out during the CIF required period. Our office is in contact with the commissioner’s office and school administration to investigate the matter further.”
The post Southern Section declares five Bishop Montgomery football transfers ineligible appeared first on Los Angeles Times.
