A judge has reinstated dozens of Gainesville High School football players who had been suspended following a fight that ended last week’s playoff game.
The injunction comes after the Gainesville City School District petitioned the judge to step in after the Georgia High School Association announced the suspensions.
In a petition filed Wednesday, the district asked the court to issue a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction preventing GHSA from enforcing the suspensions before Gainesville’s quarterfinal matchup on Friday, Nov. 28. The filing argues GHSA violated its own rules, misapplied state law, and retroactively punished players who were never ejected during the game.
The judge’s injunction allows the Gainesville High School student-athletes to participate in the upcoming quarterfinal game at Langston Hughes as the legal challenge continues. Four players will remain suspended.
“I am overjoyed with excitement for our kids,” said Adam Lindsey, athletic director at Gainesville High School. “I hate that it had to come to this (filing an injunction), but in the end it is about what is best for our kids: Go Big Red!”
The case stems from a violent on-field brawl during Friday’s matchup between Gainesville High and Brunswick High. Gainesville was leading 42–0 when tensions escalated. School officials said Brunswick players punched multiple Gainesville players, tackled them, and ripped off their helmets. Athletic Director Adam Lindsey said one Brunswick receiver ripped off a Gainesville player’s helmet and punched him as the player backed away with his hands up.
Officials announced during the game that two Brunswick players had been ejected. No Gainesville players were removed from play.
According to the lawsuit, GHSA later asked Gainesville to identify anyone who left the team box and moved toward the altercation. Gainesville submitted a list of 38 players. GHSA then issued suspensions for 39 players, one more than the number Gainesville reported, declaring them “ejected by virtue of their conduct which resulted in the early termination of the contest.”
The district appealed, arguing the players acted in self-defense. On Tuesday, GHSA’s Board of Trustees upheld the suspensions for all but four players.
The filing argues GHSA’s decision violates several provisions of its own Constitution and By-Laws, which state that only contest officials can eject players and that ejections are judgment calls that “are not reviewable or reversible.” The district says none of its players were ejected by the officials on the field, making GHSA’s post-game suspensions “void” and unenforceable.
Gainesville also argues GHSA’s rules conflict with Georgia’s self-defense statute, which protects individuals, including students, who act to defend themselves or others from unlawful force. The lawsuit states that GHSA rules treat “all players who are involved in a fight” the same, without distinguishing between aggressors and those trying to protect teammates. Because GHSA is defined under state education rules as the association that establishes statewide regulations for high school athletics, the district argues its policies must comply with state law.
With the quarterfinal game two days away, Gainesville says the suspensions would cause “irreparable harm” to its program, its players, and its community. The lawsuit says football teams work for years to reach this point in the playoffs, and that competing without 34 players would severely damage Gainesville’s chances.
Superintendent Jeremy Williams told CBS News Atlanta that Gainesville players stepped in to shield teammates after being punched and having helmets ripped off. Head Coach Josh Niblett said the ruling creates a dangerous precedent that could allow teams to “ruin” another school’s postseason by sparking a fight.
GHSA also suspended 41 Brunswick players following the incident. The school was fined $5,000, and the Brunswick football program was placed on probation for the 2026–27 school year, making the Pirates ineligible for next year’s postseason.Â
Brunswick High School Principal Slade Turner said the school “accepts the ruling of the GHSA and will fully comply with all directives immediately.”
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