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Inglewood High School played ineligible football players because the coach didn't know the rules.
Inglewood High School in California played a game in late August with an illegal roster. Head coach Mil’Von James was aware of the status of three ineligible players. He played them anyways.
He provided reasoning for the decision after the fact. He did not know eligibility rules also applied to out-of-state contests.
The Sentinels travelled Texas to face Westlake in their second game of the season. They lost, 33-26.
Inglewood played ineligible players.
Three players in the lineup were listed by the Southern Section transfer portal as NOT cleared for competition before kickoff of the Sentinels’ contest with Westlake. They played, nonetheless.
It had no impact on the outcome. Westlake, a Top 20 program in the Lone Star State, still won the game.
Had the result been reversed, though, Inglewood likely would’ve been forced to forfeit the matchup. It was a risk Mil’Von James took due to his misunderstanding of CIF rules.
A letter was sent to the CIF’s Southern Section office after the discovery of those ineligible players’ competition. It read as follows: “The coach stated that he was not aware CIF eligibility rules applied to a game in Texas.”
Despite the players still representing the team and the CIF, James did not know that their eligibility status followed them across state lines. He thought they could play. That was not the case.
In the weeks that followed the controversial contest, James was absent from the sidelines. Ultimately, he was suspended two games for the rules violations.
Mil’von James has a history with eligibility scandals.
The head coach was fired by Hawkins in 2016 due to the use of ineligible players. The high school football team, located in Los Angeles, was forced to forfeit every game from a championship season and finished with an 0-13 overall record.
That particular instance led the City Section to introduce the “Hawkins Rule,” which calls for all team to exchange rosters before games to verify that players are eligible.
James was hired at Inglewood in 2019 after an 0-10 campaign. He proceeded to go 12-1 in his debut. His success with the program has continued into 2026. The Sentinels are 69-14 under James’s leadership, including a 5-1 start to this season.
James returned to the sidelines for a September 25th outing against Downey, which Inglewood won 35-7.