Liberty Christian vows to fight TAPPS ruling after state title dreams dashed
The Friday night lights never came on at Argyle Liberty Christian School.
Instead of preparing for a playoff showdown, the Warriors are watching their state championship dreams disappear following a ruling that wiped out their victories and ended their postseason run before it began.
The Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) ruled that Liberty Christian violated its "Follow the Coach" rule by allowing an ineligible transfer student to play football this season.
According to TAPPS, the player, a wide receiver from Abilene, previously played on a 7-on-7 team coached by Liberty Christian assistant Antonio Griffin.
Under TAPPS rules, a transfer student cannot compete at the varsity level for one year if a coach at the new school coached or trained that athlete within the previous 12 months.
The TAPPS Executive Board ruled Nov. 3 that Liberty Christian's athletic leadership and coaching staff knew or should have known about the relationship before the season began.
The punishment was devastating for the top-seeded Warriors: forfeiture of every game in which the player participated and removal from the Division I state playoffs.
The decision also forced TAPPS to redraw its eight-team playoff bracket and delay the opening round until Nov. 14.
Liberty Christian is fighting back, calling the ruling "unfair and unjust."
"This unfair ruling ignores the clear and obvious facts in this case, and we are considering our various legal options moving forward," the school said in a statement. "We will continue to do everything we can to fight this unjust ruling."
The controversy also impacts Cooper Witten, son of former Dallas Cowboys star Jason Witten. Cooper is not the player TAPPS declared ineligible, but he and his teammates are paying the price. His mother, Michelle Witten, has publicly disputed the allegations on social media.
For a team that entered the postseason as a No. 1 seed, the consequences extend far beyond the scoreboard.
Months of preparation, hard-fought victories, and hopes of a state championship were erased by a ruling delivered just days before the Warriors were scheduled to take the field.
And on a Friday night that should have been filled with cheers, big plays, and championship expectations, Liberty Christian's football field was empty and silent.