These players are fumbling on the field and in the classroom.
The Midwood High School varsity football team – a historically successful team with multiple championship wins and NFL alums under its belt – was forced to forfeit multiple games after a group of players was benched mid-season due to bad grades.
Midwood High School on Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn. Google Maps
The Midwood Hornets retroactively forfeited two games – against Midwood’s James Madison and Ozone Park’s John Adams high schools – on Oct. 25 and Nov. 1, respectively, after it was revealed the team didn’t have at least 18 eligible players on the field at the time, according to Public School Athletic League records.
“Every student-athlete in New York City Public Schools is first and foremost a student, and academics provide endless pathways to lifelong success,” a NYC Department of Education spokesperson said, noting a “number of students on the football team did not meet the city’s extracurricular sports eligibility requirements.
More than a dozen senior and juniors have landed on the team’s “inactive” roster this season– and at least a half-dozen underclassmen, including one freshman, were added to the varsity team in November after the two forfeited games, according to a Post analysis of PSAL records.
The forfeited games — both wins for Midwood — has dropped the Hornets’ score to a dismal record this season, standing at 2-6 after the season wrapped following a pitiful game lost to Sheepshead Bay 56-0.
The major fumble for the Brooklyn public school – which touts alums like former Denver Broncos player Tony Colorito and former Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Shaun Smith – comes after three seasons without early forfeit hiccups.
Requests for comment from head coach Edward Giordano and assistant coach Jonathan Skelly were not immediately returned.
The Midwood Hornets forfeited two games on Oct. 25 and Nov. 1, respectively, according to Public School Athletic League records. Instagram/midwoodhornetsfootball
“While athletics are an important outlet for many of our students, it is essential our young people prioritize their education,” the DOE rep added. “The Public Schools Athletic League’s (PSAL) eligibility requirements ensure that every student-athlete is held to the same academic standards.”
City education officials are working with the school to deploy “additional supports, where possible,” the rep said.
Student-athletes may be ineligible to play if they have a GPA under 65; an attendance record of less than 90%, are not listed on an official team roster or are suspended from school, according to the public school league’s rules and regulations.
More than a dozen senior and juniors are on the team’s inactive roster — and at least a half-dozen underclassmen were added in November after the two forfeited games, according to a Post analysis of PSAL records.
Forfeits are declared if a team has less than the 18 players suited up for a contest, and coaches are penalized six hours’ pay for each forfeit of a non-played PSAL League game. Instagram/midwoodhornetsfootball
Midwood High School won Public Schools Athletic League B Division championships in 1979 and 1980.
The team also has five Brooklyn regional and four city championship titles under its belt, according to the Hornets’ social media.
The Hornets are currently the third-worst ranking team in the 3A conference this season, just behind Benjamin N. Cardozo High School (0-8) and Lehman Campus (0-8).