When the Ohio high school football playoffs begin on Friday, Glenville won’t be a part of the action.
One of the state’s powerhouses, the Tarblooders out of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District have been disqualified by a ruling from the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA).
The announcement came on Thursday and sent shockwaves through the Ohio high school football world.
Here’s what we know.
Why Was Glenville Disqualified?
Glenville was removed from the playoffs as the OHSAA investigates the school “inaccurately assigning student participation opportunities to Glenville,” according to a news release from the OHSAA.
The release explains:
“The issues stem from students who attend Ginn Academy, which is a non-member magnet school that does not offer sports and is under the control of Cleveland Metropolitan School District. Students who attend Ginn Academy can only participate in athletics at the Cleveland Metro school that is closest to their residence.”
Ginn Academy was founded in 2007 by Ted Ginn Sr., who is the head football and track coach for the Glenville Tarblooders.
“Recently we discovered several irregularities with students going to Ginn Academy and playing football at Glenville, which led us to conduct an audit of the participation opportunities for all fall sports student-athletes at Glenville High School,” said Doug Ute, OHSAA executive director, in the news release. “This week we confirmed that many players on Glenville’s football team should have been playing at other schools this season. It will take some time to examine all the information and determine the extent of the violations this season and potentially in previous seasons for all schools and teams within Cleveland Metro.”
According to the OHSAA, Glenville was removed from the football playoffs for the same infractions in 2018. They were also fined $5,000 at the same and placed on probation through 2021.
Glenville’s divisional assignment for the 2026 season wasn’t even known until after the regular season began, as the closing of Collingwood in Cleveland led to altered enrollment numbers. The Tarblooders were eventually placed in Division III.
The OHSAA concludes in the release: “There is not an exact timetable on the full scope of the investigation and additional penalties. The OHSAA thanks Cleveland Metro, Glenville and Ginn Academy for their cooperation thus far.”
What Happens to Playoff Bracket With Glenville Out?
Glenville was slated to be the No. 5 seed in the Division III, Region 9 playoffs.
With Glenville disqualified, the 12-seed Hunting Valley University School will automatically advance to the second round and will travel to 4-seed Salem on Friday, Nov. 6.
Glenville Football History
The Tarblooders have won three recent Division IV state championships under Ginn Sr.’s leadership: 2022, 2023 and 2025.
A host of notable football alumni have come out of Glenville, including Ted Ginn Jr., Troy Smith, Donte Whitner, Cardale Jones, Marshon Lattimore, Arvell Reese and Coby Bryant.
Why Glenville Was Disqualified From OHSAA Football Playoffs