High school football: Ejected Kenwood, Morgan Park players will be suspended for one game, no word from CPS on further punishments after post-game fight

The final fallout from the fight after the Morgan Park vs. Kenwood football game on Saturday at Lane Stadium is still unknown.

Shortly after the game, Morgan Park coach Chris James estimated that 18-20 players total on both teams were ejected from the game with unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.

According to Illinois High School Association rules, all of those players will have to sit out their next game. For Kenwood that is a matchup against Brooks (1-4); for Morgan Park it is a game against Hubbard (0-5).

It appeared that some assistant coaches were also ejected from the game. They would also miss the next game according to IHSA rules.

There is some precedent for Chicago Public Schools to apply harsher penalties than the one-game suspension the IHSA automatically imposes. Immediately after the game, James said he expected CPS to “levy some heavy suspensions.”

CPS released a statement to the Sun-Times on Monday that didn’t contain any specifics:

“CPS expects all of our student athletes to treat each other with respect. The District assists schools to prevent, prepare, respond, and recover from crises that affect the school population, including students and staff, with the goal of safeguarding the physical, emotional, and psychological well-being of the CPS community. The District’s Office of Sports Administration (OSA) is working with school leadership to continue its investigation and respond in accordance with District policies and procedures.”

Multiple fights broke out all over the field at Lane Stadium after the game on Saturday. CPS security and coaches and administrators from both schools struggled to calm things down. The chaotic scene lasted about 10 minutes.

Both teams are loaded with college prospects and just outside the Super 25 rankings. Multiple media outlets were at Lane Stadium to cover one of the best Public League matchups of the season, but the game was ugly from the start. The first quarter was marred by multiple unsportsmanlike penalties and it deteriorated from there.

CPS Sports Director David Rosengard speaks with Kenwood principal Karen Calloway after the altercation between Kenwood and Morgan Park.

Kirsten Stickney/For the Sun-Times

Both coaches acknowledged the events on Twitter over the weekend.

“CPS coaches, referees, administration and leadership are all working together to prevent issues like the end of today’s game from happening. We’ll be better, because we’re family & we all want to make a difference,” James tweeted.

Kenwood coach Sinque Turner released a statement on Twitter on Sunday: “On behalf of the entire Kenwood Academy football program I want to apologize to CPS sports administration, the entire Kenwood Community, Ms. Calloway and the Morgan Park football team for all the uncharacteristic behavior my team displayed during yesterday’s football game.”

Kenwood and Morgan Park are both heavy favorites to win their Week 6 games, even if they are missing a dozen or more players due to the suspensions.

If CPS or the IHSA levies a two-game or longer suspension, Kenwood could be significantly impacted. The Broncos face Simeon, the top Public League football team, in a highly-anticipated game in Week 7.

There hasn’t been any word from the IHSA yet, but it typically allows CPS to handle incidents internally.

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