I-Team: 20 Armwood JV players ineligible for game

SEFFNER, Fla. - Twenty junior varsity football players at Armwood High School weren’t able to play in this week’s game due to eligibility issues. The Hillsborough County School Board confirms that the players did not have the three required proof of residency forms to play.

The I-Team first exposed issues facing the eligibility of players in an investigation in November of 2011. We found several parents and players had lied on forms about where they lived in order to become eligible to play for Armwood.

As a result of our investigation, Armwood was forced to relinquish its’ state championship and the Hillsborough County School Board added tough new regulations aimed to prevent similar issues from happening again. Part of those regulations included requiring multiple proofs of residency.

School Board officials say they expect most, if not all, of the 20 players will have the necessary forms to play in next week’s game.