(12-1-25) UPDATED

(11-24-25) UPDATED

from the Atlanta Journal Constitution

Gainesville athletic director Adam Lindsey will present the school’s case to the GHSA Board of Trustees at 9 a.m. Tuesday.

“Shock. I mean, at the end of the day, there are some of those players that I understand. But to eject the 11 defensive players that were on the field that had nothing to do with anything just shows a lack of really paying attention to what happened.

“When you’ve got kids that are literally on the opposite side of the field helping up the quarterback and that kid gets ejected, I mean, it doesn’t make any sense. It just seems like just an opportunity to make a blanket statement or a blatant jab at Gainesville.”

(11-22-25) A loss suffered by Brunswick to Gainesville in the Georgia Class 5A playoffs last night turned ugly. The game was stopped with 1:57 still remaining in the third quarter after a massive brawl broke out between the two teams.

Footage on social media and the NFHS broadcast showed players from both teams in a huge fight. The game was called with Gainesville up 42-0. Brunswick’s season ended with a 9-3 record.

Gainesville athletics director Adam Lindsey confirmed they’ll await a ruling on the situation from the GHSA late Friday night.

Gainesville rolls; but game called due to ‘on-field altercation’

“The game was suspended with a few minutes to go in the third quarter after an on-field altercation. We don’t know the ramifications of what happened, but we will keep you updated.”

GHSA rules strictly prohibit players and substitutes from leaving the bench during a fight. Any player who does so faces ejection and penalties, including suspensions and fines, according to GHSA regulations. The head coach is also responsible for ensuring bench players do not enter the field of play to participate in a fight. Consequences for leaving the bench include:

  • Ejection: Players who leave the bench during a fight are automatically ejected from the game.
  • Suspensions: Ejected players are subject to the GHSA’s sit-out rule, which typically requires them to miss their next game.
  • Fines: Schools can also be assessed fines for incidents involving their players leaving the bench.
  • Potential for more severe penalties: GHSA can review game footage and official reports to determine further consequences, including potential future suspensions for the schools involved.

Brunswick head coach Garrett Grady

KNOCKED OUT: Brawl puts early end to Brunswick’s playoff loss

“That’s definitely not the way we wanted to end. It’s not what we represent at Brunswick High. We always want to finish what we start. We’ve got to keep our composure, that’s the key thing. When something happens or escalates on the field, we can’t come off the sideline. Those are the little things we’ve got to fix.

We’ve got to learn from our mistakes. That was a mistake, and everyone’s going to remember all the bad instead of all the good that we’ve done this season. That’s not the way we wanted to go out at all.”