A frustrated Long Beach Poly football community is asking for more answers after what they feel is insufficient communication about why their team was removed from the playoffs. Two weeks ago, the Jackrabbits’ admin pulled them out of CIF Southern Section playoff consideration the day after their final game of the season and two days before the playoff brackets were set to drop.
A statement attributed to Poly administration was sent to players’ families as well as the media reading:
“Long Beach Polytechnic High School acknowledges the recent CIF ruling related to violations of CIF Bylaw 202 within its football program. In accordance with that ruling, and as part of an ongoing internal investigation, Poly will withdraw from postseason play. The school is fully cooperating with CIF and the District, as a thorough review of our processes and systems is conducted to ensure full compliance with CIF rules and District policy. While student and employee matters are confidential, our commitment remains to support our students while upholding the integrity of our athletic programs.“
The Jackrabbits had six players ruled ineligible due to falsifying address change paperwork this season, part of a wider crackdown by the CIF-SS that saw 19 players at Bishop Montgomery, eight at Millikan, one at Compton, and more than a dozen others around Southern California ruled ineligible.
Poly football families have expressed frustration about not being told why their team was removed from the playoffs, especially after dealing with the same ineligibility and forfeit issues as other teams who were punished by CIF-SS, but still participated in the playoffs. Poly forfeit a win over Tustin due to the use of an ineligible player, their first forfeit since 2015, which was also the only other time since 1979 that Poly missed the playoffs.
Dozens of Jackrabbits families protested outside of the school the day after being informed their team wouldn’t play in the playoffs, and a larger demonstration is planned for tonight’s Long Beach Unified School District Board of Education meeting.
“The issue for us is not with whatever the reasoning is, it’s with the non-communication,” said Derek Bordeaux, who has had three sons go through the Poly football program including senior linebacker Taj on this year’s team. “We’re not pointing fingers, I just hate the speculation. It could be transfers, but everyone had transfers and we were penalized for that already the same as everyone else. That makes any observant person feel it has nothing to do with the kids–but they’re the ones paying the price.”
Bordeaux said he and other Poly parents were frustrated that the decision was announced after the team had played their final game of the year so that families didn’t know it would be their sons’ last game.
“We protested the day after the announcement just asking for answers, not even asking them to change the decision,” he said. “There’s nothing we can really do, the principal won’t talk to us. They could have at least let the kids know it’s their last game so they could say goodbye the right way–give everyone a chance to move on and say goodbye.”
The LBUSD followed up with a message addressed to the “Poly Community” sent out last Wednesday, which is signed “Long Beach Unified School District.” It offers some bread crumbs as to why Poly principal Alejandro Vega made the decision to pull the Jackrabbits out of the playoffs (Poly administration has declined further comment beyond the issued releases). The release states that an internal investigation uncovered issues around CIF-SS Bylaw 202, B(5), which specifically relates to School Personnel Involvement on falsifying documents. A Poly assistant coach was taken off the field earlier in the season due to an LBUSD investigation, which one could reasonably assume would have centered around that bylaw violation.
According to the release, Poly administration decided to withdraw “After careful review of the available information, weighing all possible outcomes, and consulting with the CIF and the CIF guidelines.” The release states that continuing in the playoffs could have exposed the program to more severe penalties under CIF-SS rules including extended sanctions affecting future seasons.
“Withdrawing before the playoffs, while extremely difficult, protects our students, the integrity of the program, and Poly’s ability to compete in future years,” according to the release.
Parents like Bordeaux have been understanding when talking to the media about investigations being kept private, but stressed that they’d like it if administrators could talk to them like “human beings,” instead of issuing unsigned releases with no names on them. Several talked about the emotional toll it took on their kids to have their high school football careers ended–and for many of them, their football careers period.
“Taj is my toughest kid,” said Bordeaux. “He locked himself in his room so he could just cry for days after this. It’s been heartbreaking for all the kids.”
