MPS football fallout: Appeal to WIAA will not be heard until later this fall; playoff ban to stay for now

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Any hopes of salvaging the football seasons at two MPS high schools were dashed Wednesday, Oct. 16.

MPS confirmed its appeal of a playoff ban will not be heard by the WIAA until later in the fall.

That means both Bay View and Pulaski's seasons will end this week, and all their games will be forfeited.

Playoff pairings come out Saturday morning at 10 a.m. If Bay View wins Thursday, they would be eligible for the postseason for the first time in seven years. But the ban will keep them off the field.

Now MPS is pledging to correct mistakes, as more leaders are calling for accountability.

Lynn Greb is the recreation director for Milwaukee Recreation. She told us, "Our goal is to review how this happened, and make sure it never happens again." And there are systems in place to prevent any possibility of this happening."

The district made Greb availability even though we originally asked to talk with Bobbie Kelsey, the athletics commissioner responsible for the error that led to the forfeiture of Pulaski and Bay View's football seasons.

We asked Greb, "How would you assess her performance or the way she fulfills her duties?" She replied, "I'm not going to comment on personnel matters."

As hope of salvaging the season slipped away Wednesday, there were more calls for accountability.

Alderman Robert Bauman told us, "This is another case of MPS just can't seem to get their act together."

It's more blood in the water for city leaders already frustrated with MPS operations.

Bauman added, "The constant examples of bureaucratic and administrative failures."

Bay View is in MPS board director Megan O'Halloran's district.

She's urging the WIAA to reconsider the sanctions, saying, "This is making children pay for mistakes made by adults. Completely unacceptable."

It's unclear if WIAA bylaws allow for an expedited appeals process.

In March of 2022, the St. Thomas More boys basketball team appealed a teamwide suspension for an on-court fight. A judge ruled in their favor the next day.

O'Halloran is calling on the MPS administration to create a corrective action plan to prevent a similar error from happening again.

Additionally, she wants compensation concerns investigated after Alderman Mark Chambers said some coaches were not getting paid.

Fellow board director Missy Zombor told us, "We will continue to work with Admin to ensure personnel matters are handled according to policy and expectation."

For now, Greb said the goal now is to put their energy into the appeal for next year's playoffs. They hope to have an answer by early December.

Greb said she is feeling "Dejection, disappointment, we're extremely upset 30 about what has transpired."

We've had two key questions for the WIAA this week: can it expedite the appeals process, and can it modify the sanctions so as to not punish students for an adult's mistake?

On Wednesday, repeated calls and messages to several WIAA officials were ignored.