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Judge denies father’s request to reverse son’s suspension from Longmeadow High School football game
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- Judge denies father’s request to reverse son’s suspension from Longmeadow High School football game
LONGMEADOW — A Hampden Superior Court judge denied a father’s plea to reverse a one-football game suspension his son received for allegedly trying to break up a fight.
Robert Harrington, the father of a player on the Longmeadow High School’s football team, filed a legal complaint and temporary injunction last week against the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association, the organization that regulates rules and lines up games, in Hampden Superior Court.
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Harrington asked a judge to reverse his son Brody’s suspension ahead of an important game Oct. 30 that “carried significant implications for the team,” according to an affidavit the father signed.
Winning the game would advance the high school to the state playoffs, the affidavit said. Amy Karangekis , a Superior Court judge, denied the motion Oct. 30.
The game was against Minnechaug Regional High School in Wilbraham. Brody Harrington did not play at the game, per the judge’s orders.
Minnechaug won the game by 29 points , advancing that team to the state playoffs.
Harrington’s attorney, Marissa Fabbo, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Martin O’Shea, the superintendent of Longmeadow High Schools, also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The game, alleged altercation and suspension
The football game that led to the suspension was played Oct. 24 between the Longmeadow High and the Westfield High teams. The Longmeadow team won the game by 15 points .
Brody Harrington allegedly attempted to break up a fight between his teammate and a Westfield player, according to the complaint filed Oct. 28.
“A Westfield player was on top of a Longmeadow player pinning him down and punching him in the head and neck area well after the whistle,” Robert Harrington said in his affidavit, claiming there was photo and video evidence of the altercation. “The Longmeadow player appeared defenseless and was struck at least three times.”
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Robert Harrington alleged that the referees either did not see the incident or were slow to react.
“Brody moved toward the players and intervened to protect his teammate from further harm by shoving the Westfield player off of his teammate,” the affidavit said.
Harrington claims his son did not throw a punch or taunt the Westfield player in an attempt to escalate the situation, the affidavit said.
Despite this, Harrington alleges that game officials penalized Brody Harrington for “unsportsmanlike conduct.” Later, the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association “imposed a one-game suspension under its ejection/sportsmanship rule,” court documents said.
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The suspension from the Oct. 30 game would “cause irreparable harm to Brody’s athletic record, reputation, and potential opportunities to play at the collegiate level,” the affidavit said.
Judges across the state denied four injunctions/temporary restraining orders, which violated various association rules, in the 2022-2023 school year, according to the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association’s 2025 annual report .
One case was denied in the 2023-2024 school year. One case, however, was granted in the 2024-2025 school year. The report did not specify which schools the players attended at the time the injunctions were filed.
Robert Baldwin, executive director of the association, did not immediately return a request for comment about the Harrington case or about the other injunctions filed against the association.
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The court docket does not say if there will be another hearing in the case.
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