Brighton Township youth football teams protest punishment after league signed off on ineligible player

Brighton Township youth football teams protest punishment after league signed off on ineligible player

Brighton Township's youth football teams have been kicked out of the playoffs after an eligibility issue involving one player.

The anger isn't over the rules, rather over who should be held responsible, because the consequences don't stop with the player or even his team — they extend to kids who had absolutely nothing to do with this.

The player turned 13 during the season, making him ineligible under league rules. But Brighton Township families say this was no secret.

They say the Beaver County Youth Football League, which oversees its member organizations, knew the player would turn 13 and signed off on his card before the season. And when Brighton realized there was an eligibility problem, they say they brought it to the league's attention.

"In the event that we make it to playoffs and then somehow this comes out and then we are punished because of it and at that point we would've known so we wanted to do the right thing and say it before it got to that, so as soon as we found out, it was discussed," said Amber Guido, the head coach's wife.

But self-reporting didn't spare Brig...