On Wednesday morning, Hall of Famer Deion Sanders will appeal a ruling to keep athletes at his charter school out of the game.
The Dallas School District’s Executive Committee voted to ban the school from playing in any sports this year. It claims too many athletes improperly transferred out of the district.
The University Interscholastic League is trying to sort out the district’s actions, says only the State Executive Committee has the authority to suspend a school from play.
Former Dallas Cowboys player, Deion Sanders co-founded the school.
“That was a smoke screen to stunt our enrollment, and subsequently, it worked," says Sanders. "It cost us a few kids."
Despite the controversy, the football team took to the field last Friday for another big blow, a 50-6 loss to Parish Episcopal.
Sanders insists he won’t go down without a fight. In an NBC 5 exclusive interview, Sanders says the game will go on. “There’s no rule that says we can’t play football. You can stop us from playing in your district, but you can’t stop us from playing the game,” Sanders says.
The University Interscholastic League says that’s the case. “Unless otherwise suspended from play by the State Executive Committee, what programs a school participates in and at what level is at the discretion of the school,” says Chris Schmidt, from UIL Public Affairs.
Sanders claims the district’s decision cost the school four scheduled games.
The District Executive Committee is scheduled to hear the appeal at 10 a.m. at Madison High School in Dallas.
Stay with NBC 5 News for updates to this story.
