IPSWICH, MASS. (WHDH) - The Ipswich High School boys lacrosse team said it was forced to forfeit its playoff run Tuesday night after several seniors participated in a fake cigar celebration for their graduation ceremony the previous Sunday.
Christian Gianakakis is a senior on the team. He and seven of his teammates graduated on Sunday, when they were pictured wearing graduation gowns and holding what look to be cigars in their mouths.
“Graduation, it’s tradition you smoke a cigar, but we were still in lacrosse so we couldn’t with the tobacco law. We knew that, so my dad made up with tea grinds, fake cigars so we could still get the pictures,” Gianakakis said. “Monday morning we got a call that it was either seven or eight of our seniors might be getting suspended for the game.”
On Tuesday, the school district posted a statement on their website that read, “The team and coaching staff decided that due to the shortage of available players that it was in the best interest of the team to forfeit the game.”
Gianakakis told 7NEWS that the players involved showed one of the fake cigars to the principal.
“He [the principal] saw there was no tobacco or anything in it, and he shook my dad’s hand as he looked him in the eyes and said, ‘your boys can play,'” he explained.
Just as the team was boarding the bus to the game Tuesday, they said they found out the game was cancelled. Gianakakis said the team was devastated by the decision.
“Got us to that final four spot and could’ve been a championship if this didn’t happen,” Gianakakis said. “Just a bunch of emotions. Angry at what happened, sad, disappointed, and also a little bit confused because we didn’t do anything wrong.”
The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) handbook states, “From the earliest fall practice date, to the conclusion of the academic year or final athletic event (whichever is latest), a student shall not, regardless of the quantity, use, consumer, possess, buy/sell, or give away any beverage containing alcohol; any tobacco product…”
While the school has not confirmed to 7NEWS that the cigars are what influenced the decision to forfeit the game, Executive Director of the MIAA Dr. Bob Baldwin called into the The Greg HIll Show on WEEI Wednesday morning to say the decision was made on the local level.
“This never came to the MIAA. It was a local decision and the forfeit was decided by the school. We were informed that the school, and for obvious reason reasons, did not feel that they had enough players. They had just the minimum number of players and we were informed by the school that they would be choosing to forfeit this game,” Baldwin said.
The season may have ended unexpectedly, but Gianakakis said his teammates continue to support one another.
“Hopefully this won’t happen again in the future, ‘cause this really is devastating for a lot of people,” he said.
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