UPDATED Salpointe High School's football program put on probation

The alleged violation came to light during an appeals hearing in October for a current Tucson High School sophomore football player.

The offensive lineman played for Salpointe last season. He transferred to Tucson and was not able to play immediately because of a rule that says players who transfer must sit out a year to regain eligibility. The player appealed the transfer rule.

During the hearing it was revealed that he may have been recruited by a Salpointe coach when the player was in eighth grade, AIA chief operations officer Chuck Schmidt said.

The player was ruled eligible in October. He is a 6-foot-4 inch, 330-pound offensive lineman and has played with Tucson this season.

Salpointe athletic director Phil Gruensfelder said the school heard from the AIA on Tuesday morning but hasn’t received anything in writing from the AIA. He said he is concerned about the decision and plans to appeal.

Both Tucson and Salpointe are 5A-I schools, the largest classification in the state. Tucson athletic director Gary Lewis and football coach Vincent Smith declined comment on Tuesday.

The AIA’s student eligibility rules state: “There shall be no recruitment of athletes,” and “if school personnel condone or actively engage in recruitment or a school uses a recruited student, the school shall be subject to disciplinary action by the AIA executive board.”

The board skipped possible punishments of an advisement or warning. The only sanction more severe than probation is being asked to leave the AIA.

Salpointe will host Mesa Red Mountain in the state quarterfinals Friday. The probation prohibits the team from competing in next year’s playoffs. The team also won’t be eligible for any AIA awards.

It is the first time in at least eight years that an athletic program has been placed on probation for a recruiting violation.