These celebratory cigars may have been a little premature.
The Ipswich High School (Mass.) boys lacrosse team forfeited its state semifinal game after several players posed with cigars in their mouths after graduation, according to CBS Boston.
The circulated photo shows eight boys posing post-graduation Sunday with cigars in their mouths.
However, parents of several banned players reportedly said the cigars were not real and at least one provided proof to the school that the sticks did not contain tobacco.
“The crime and the punishment are not even close to each other. There’s a judge and a jury and it’s evil right now,” Drew Wile, a father of one of the boys in the photo who was disciplined, told CBS.
Ipswich disqualified several players from playing in the scheduled semifinal game against Cohasset on Tuesday since the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association forbids tobacco use, per CBS.
The school’s website includes a statement, as of Wednesday morning, explaining that it made the call to forfeit the matchup due to a lack of eligible bodies.
“Ipswich High School was very excited to have its boys lacrosse team advance to the Division 4 State Semifinals that was scheduled for Tuesday evening at 6pm,” the statement reads.
“The team and coaching staff decided that due to the shortage of available players that it was in the best interest of the team to forfeit the game. We congratulate all of our players and coaches on a great season and for advancing to the Final Four.”
John Gianakakis’ son participated in the photo and he told CBS that his child and several of the teammates asked for help to set up the photo without using tobacco and violating the rules.
He reportedly used painters’ tape to create the alleged fake cigars.
“(A cigar shop worker) told me that you can use banana leaves. You can use chamomile and stuff like that, and cigar wrappers,” John Gianakakis told CBS. “They tried them. It was horrible. They burned fast. It was windy. It was dried paper and tea. A real cigar will last an hour to two hours depending on the caliber. Those kids would have been sick as dogs if they smoked what they smoked in the pictures. Light a newspaper or paper towel on fire, and it would go whoosh. It’s the same thing.”
Gianakakis told the school principal, Jonathan Mitchell, that the cigars had been fake after the verdict emerged, even bringing one of the fake stogies and a receipt as evidence, per CBS.
He alleged that Mitchell called the cigar shop to verify if Gianakakis had called regarding fake cigars and then gave him some good news.
“Mr. Mitchell looked me in the eyes, sat me down and said, ‘John these kids are cleared to play,’” Gianakakis told CBS.
Gianakakis said the athletes practiced that day — it’s unsure if he was referring to Sunday or Monday — but the superintendent’s office reportedly wanted a deeper dive into the matter.
The school informed the athletes they had been barred by 10 a.m. ET on Tuesday, per CBS.
Board member Greg Stevens told CBS that several members of the board attempted to convince the administration to let the athletes play due to some wiggle room in the rules.
Players reportedly boarded the bus, but parents told CBS that the students had to exit the vehicle since the MIAA ruled that Ipswich forfeited.
“It’s hard to believe that this has all happened to these poor kids,” Wile said to CBS. “The double standard is there. If you happen to play an instrument or whatever, there’s no repercussions, there. You can do it.”
MIAA rules have strict guidelines regarding tobacco, stating: “…a student shall not, regardless of the quantity, use, consume, possess, buy/sell, or give away … any tobacco product (including e-cigarettes, vape pens and all similar devices); marijuana (including synthetic).”
Once the principal confirms the infraction and after the student possibly voices their case, the minimum penalty calls for the student to “lose eligibility for the next consecutive interscholastic contests (regular season and tournament) totaling 25% of all interscholastic contests in that sport.”
