Fans were a large part of the brawl that took place on Tuesday at the Alabama State Acadome. Carver received word on Wednesday that it would not be allowed to participate in the regional final. (Photo by Dennis Victory)

Staff Report

The Alabama High School Athletic Association has ruled that the G.W. Carver boys team has been placed on restrictive probation and will not be allowed to particpate in the Class 5A regional final on Friday. Talladega has been declared the winner of the Class 5A Boys Central Regional.

Talladega will represent the Central Regional in Birmingham next week.

On Tuesday, the Wolverines defeated Valley, 52-37, in a game that ended prematurely with a bench-clearing brawl that involved players and fans who spilled onto the court during what turned out to be the final seconds of the game. The game was officially called at the 6:32 mark of the fourth quarter.

AHSAA director Steve Savarese made the announcement on Wednesday afternoon at a press conference.

"We’re very disappointed for the student-athletes of our state,” said Savarese. “This is not what we’ve taught and stressed in our sportsmanship emphasis over the last three years.

"This emphasis is so important to our program that our Central Board made the online STAR Sportsmanship program a mandatory eligibility requirement for all students involved in athletics at all our member schools."

Carver coach James Jackson accepted the ruling and offered an appology for the actions of his players. He told his players of the ruling after school on Wednesday.

"I admit I was wishing for a different outcome but I understand the decision," Jackson said. "I want everyone to know that we at Carver want to do what’s right.

Savarese said that ejections in games had been reduced in number over the last three years and that 55 percent fewer player and coach ejections are to be credited to the commitment of the education courses taught to the student-athletes. All coaches and players are mandated to participate in a STAR sportsmanship program.

“We will continue to put sportsmanship at the forefront of our program and hope we do not have any more incidents like this to cast a negative shadow on the progress of our efforts,” he added. “We will not tolerate this type of behavior in our program.

“I want us not to for forget all our member schools who conduct themselves in a manner that represents the mission of the AHSAA where sportsmanship and behavior is always at the forefront.”

According to the AHSAA bylaws, restrictive probation limits those programs to only regular season play and prohibits any participation in a championship program.

Jackson said his team will meet with Savarese on Thursday to discuss the incident. Savarese also stated that an ongoing investigation will "probably last a while" before any penalties are handed to individuals.