The Missouri State High School Activities Association has put Clayton High School on two years probation. Their football team had a 9-0 record and secured a spot in the Class 4 playoffs when the school turned itself in for using an ineligible player. Quarterback Jairus Byrd was supposed to sit out a year because he was attending Clayton while living outside the school district. Byrd’s father, Gill, took a job as a Rams assistant before they school year and the family is living in a hotel in Earth City while they look for a permanent residence in the Clayton school district. Clayton was stripped of the nine wins, ending their chance of going to the post-season. Clayton officials argued that they didn’t think Byrd should be ineligible because other students—like those who are brought in for desegregation purposes and children of teachers in the district—aren’t affected by the rule. They also argue that the rule is to keep kids from jumping from school to school for athletic purposes. Since Byrd was transferring from outside the state, they didn’t feel they were violating the spirit of the rule. Clayton administrators admit that they should have been more responsible in their interpretation of the rule. As a result Athletic Director Rich Grawer and principal Dave Skillman will be required to attend a training seminar on the rules.
