Every year since 1998, John Weber has led the Immokalee Indians football team to the playoffs. This coming season, Weber can plan an unwanted vacation for the first week of December.
Immokalee has no chance at the postseason if it adheres to Friday's decision. And Weber isn't happy.
WEBIFIED
- PODCAST: Hear an in-depth report about the discovery of a fourth and fifth over-age student athlete at Immokalee High School, which won't cause the Florida High School Athletic Association to reopen an investigation.
- VODCAST: Watch 'Studio 55' for expanded coverage
- VODCAST: Watch 'Studio 55' for more coverage
- LETTER: Letter from the FHSAA to principal Manny Touron PDF | JPEG
- DOCUMENTS: FHSAA investigation documents (PDF)
- RELATED: Decision on Touron punishment may come next week (6/9/06)
- RELATED: Indians can't be stripped of their pride (6/9/06)
- RELATED: Collier coaches offer up sympathy (6/9/06)
- RELATED: Transferring not much of an option for Immokalee students (6/9/06)
- RELATED: School Board members say punishment was just (6/8/06)
- RELATED: Estero soccer coach: Forfeiting games OK, but probation goes too far (6/8/06)
- RELATED: Over-age Immokalee High student, player apologizes (6/8/06)
Immokalee High Principal Manny Touron announced that the school will not appeal recent fines and sanctions handed down from the Florida High School Athletic Association for using over-age athletes. The Immokalee football team is prohibited from participating in the 2006 postseason as part of the sanctions.
"I'm extremely disappointed about this decision," said Weber, who led the Indians to the 2004 Class 2A State Championship.
The Indians soccer team received a stiffer penalty: two years of probation, which includes no postseason participation. But the three men -- 30-year-old Blandel Jean, 23-year-old Josh Jean-Mary and 20-year-old Sinel Ulysse -- originally discovered with ages older than the FHSAA's rule of 19 years, 9 months participated in soccer for the past three seasons. The Naples Daily News has since discovered two more over-age athletes -- 21-year-old Clotaire Joseph and 20-year-old Fredo Selbonne -- participated on the soccer team that won back-to-back district titles.
Only Jean played on the football team. And he played sparingly as a placekicker.
Jean joined the football team halfway through the 2005 season only after star placekicker Moise Saintil suffered an injury. Jean played in two regular season games for the Indians. In both games, Immokalee easily defeated its opponent and Jean played in insignificant role.
The Indians roughed up Golden Gate, 48-10, and Jean had six extra points. The Indians clobbered Palmetto Ridge, 51-0, the following week and Jean added six more extra points and a 39-yard field goal. In both games, take away Jean's contribution and the Indians still win handily.
Saintil returned the next week and Webber kept Jean on the roster.
Weber said he let Jean kick extra points during the postseason as a "thank you" for coming out to help the team. Saintil, who kicked a game-winning 43-yard field goal to lift the Indians to the 2004 state championship, was healthy enough to perform all the kicking duties in the playoffs.
Jean acknowledged that he only came out for football, a sport he had never played before, to help out his schoolmates.
"I only wanted to help the football team and my friend Moise," Jean said. "I never intended to hurt the team."
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