The parents of a high school football player at Orlando’s The First Academy have circulated a letter inviting other families to get on board with a petition to file suit against the Florida High School Athletic Association, which banned the Royals from participating in the state playoffs last year and this season.
The Sentinel received a copy of the letter anonymously late Wednesday night.
John Ramsier, the father of junior offensive lineman Reed Ramsier, and his wife Heather stated their goal is to have the ban lifted for a team that is ranked No. 8 in Class 1A and No. 3 in Region 2. The top eight teams in each region advance to the playoffs. The Royals are 4-4 against a national schedule that has been by far the toughest in 1A, according to FHSAA rankings.
School officials made it clear Thursday that parents were acting on their own accord and that TFA administrators were not associated with the letter.
The FHSAA, last fall, ruled against TFA, citing rules violations by the coaching staff. Head coach Jeff Conaway was suspended from coaching in games for the 2025 season.
Conaway won an appeal in August and the FHSAA reduced his suspension. He returned to the sideline for the Royals Oct. 3 game at St. Frances Academy in Baltimore.
Ramsier wrote in the letter:
“Our family has decided that the inequitable sentencing by the FHSAA against TFA Football must be addressed. We have retained attorneys who are filing an injunction and lawsuit on behalf of our players.
Our #1 goal is for the TFA Royals to be eligible for the 2025 playoffs. Additionally, we understand the importance of playoff exposure and how it relates to our program and our players.”
John Ramsier’s letter to TFA football parents.
The FHSAA cited rules violations and placed the football team on restrictive probation until Dec. 20, 2025, and it was forced to forfeit all nine victories from last season.
Parents were urged to join the petitioning parents by signing up by Thursday afternoon, and it is thought that the majority of the parents were likely to agree.
TFA was hit with numerous sanctions in the initial investigation by the FHSAA, but through several appeals, many of the penalties were lifted and/or reduced.
Most of the infractions cited by the FHSAA stemmed from TFA fielding players in offseason workouts and events prior to being enrolled at the school. School administrators have said students who received welcoming letters of admission to the school thought they were enrolled, but the paperwork had yet to be officially submitted.
The FHSAA board of directors, in its ruling, stated that coaches and administrators should have known players not enrolled would not be allowed to participate.
Once the lawsuit is filed, the plaintiffs will be hoping for an expedited process, since the state playoff pairings are scheduled to be announced following the final regular-season games on Nov. 4, just 12 days away.
Chris Hays can be found on X.com @OS_ChrisHays.
