JACKSONVILLE, Ala. (WBRC) – Two Jacksonville High School football players sidelined by the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) are cleared to play again — at least for now.
Calhoun County Circuit Court Judge Jennifer D. Weems signed a temporary restraining order Friday morning restoring the eligibility of senior C.L. and junior B.C. (the court filing only uses their initials since they are minors), just hours before Jacksonville’s game on Oct. 16.
The order specifically blocks the AHSAA and Jacksonville City Schools Superintendent Dr. Michael Barber from enforcing Executive Director Heath Harmon’s decision banning the two boys from playing at Jacksonville over alleged recruiting violations.
But the judge split her decision. The same order denies immediate reinstatement for suspended head coach Jeremy Sullivan and volunteer assistant “Flip” Holloway, meaning both coaches remain barred from the sideline.
In the three-page order, Weems found the players showed they would suffer immediate and irreparable harm without court intervention. With only two games left in Jacksonville’s regular season — Oct. 16 and Oct. 23 — and no postseason to fall back on, the judge noted both players face loss of college scholarship opportunities tied to current conditional offers, harm for which money alone can’t make up.
The judge added that evidence presented so far suggests the families are likely to win on several of their legal claims, at least for purposes of the temporary order. She also found the Calhoun County court has jurisdiction over the case and is a proper venue — a direct pushback to the AHSAA’s argument that any lawsuit must be filed in Montgomery County.
The TRO stays in place until a full hearing on a preliminary injunction, now set for Oct. 26 at 2 p.m.
How we got here
The ruling is the latest turn in a legal battle that has consumed Jacksonville’s 2026 season.
In September, the AHSAA put Jacksonville on restrictive probation through July 31, 2027, issued fines, took away a 41-7 win over Alexandria and barred the Golden Eagles from the playoffs. The association also suspended Sullivan and Holloway for a full calendar year and ruled C.L. and B.C. permanently ineligible at Jacksonville.
According to AHSAA ruling letters, investigators flagged phone records showing contact between the coaches and families before enrollment — six calls totaling 66 minutes between Sullivan and Matt Land, plus dozens of calls involving Holloway. To the AHSAA, any pre-enrollment contact violates its recruiting rule, regardless of what was discussed.
Sullivan, Holloway and the families sued in late September, filing a 34-page federal civil rights complaint challenging the rule as overly broad and unconstitutional, and accusing the AHSAA of coercing them to turn over private phone logs. The AHSAA fired back with a motion to dismiss or transfer the case to Montgomery, calling the suit an “engineered effort” to dodge handbook venue rules.
That federal fight shifted to state court this week in Calhoun County, leading to Friday’s split decision.
For now, that means C.L. and B.C. can suit up Friday night, while Sullivan and Holloway must continue to watch from off the field as the Oct. 26 hearing approaches.
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