Judge Rules Against Bishop Fenwick On MIAA Postseason Ban Appeal

PEABODY, MA — A sweeping postseason ban for all Bishop Fenwick sports and individual athletes for the 2023-24 school year for failing to comply with MIAA rules or show accountability for violations was upheld by an Essex Superior Court judge on Friday.

In the ruling, the judge rejected Fenwick's attempt at an injunction that would have allowed fall season teams to play in the upcoming tournaments and competitions, instead reaffirming the MIAA's authority to implement rules for its member schools.

The MIAA Board of Directors voted to ban all Fenwick athletes from all tournaments this school year because of what the organization overseeing state high school sports called "serious, egregious and repeated rules violations" involving an ineligible baseball player, and what it said was the disregard shown toward the MIAA and its protocols in the investigation that followed.

"As determined in previous court rulings," the MIAA said in a statement released Friday afternoon, "the policies and decisions of the MIAA and its Board of Directors are not arbitrary nor capricious and are made for the greater good of the Association.

"The responsibility of accountability with each member school rests with each school's leadership team. In making decisions at the school level, the policies and procedures set forth by the member-driven Association must be followed."

The statement said the MIAA hopes the finality of this court decision allows all those involved with the school to move forward and that it looks forward to working with Bishop Fenwick, which it called "a valued member of our Association," in the future.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)