Recently, the Minnesota State High School League has ruled gridiron superstar Craig McDonald ineligible for his senior year of sports at Minnehaha Academy. The ruling came down one week ago and they are still going through an appeals process which concludes June 3, 2019, at 9:00 am in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota.

McDonald was ruled ineligible for his senior year because he repeated eighth grade. The 6'3" defensive back had many offers but chose the Iowa State Cyclones.

McDonald started school at an early age in Saint Paul Minnesota, before relocating to South Minneapolis. By fourth grade, they knew the decision to start him early was inadvisable due to his age and maturity level in a very tough public school district. His parents worried about his social, mental and emotional maturity since he was the youngest in his class by one full year and some months. Currently, McDonald is the youngest player in his junior class at Minnehaha. He just turned seventeen a few months ago.

By McDonald's eighth grade year, his maturity level became a bigger issue as he witnessed older kids in his circle from South Minneapolis begin to make decisions that would affect them for the rest of their lives. How would Craig combat the negative influences that plagued millions of inner-city youths especially one so young?

That's when his parents knew a change would be necessary. They felt compelled to give their son a better opportunity in life. They had him repeat the eighth grade at Minnehaha Academy instead of attending Washburn or South Minneapolis High School the following year as a freshman.

At the time, St. Paul and Minneapolis public schools led the nation in racial disparities concerning discipline. Black male students were disproportionately disciplined. They felt Craig's social, mental, and maturity level would become a detriment in the public school district and didn't want to chance it. They needed to place him with his peers where the influences wouldn't be as strong and tempting.

The decision allowed Craig McDonald and his parents the best of both worlds with stellar academics and placing him in his correct graduating year with his peers. He flourished at Minnehaha Academy. The rest is history. McDonald plans on honoring his commitment to the Iowa State Cyclones in 2020.

The Minnesota High School League bylaws state that student-athletes have 12 semesters from seventh to twelfth grade which runs consecutively no matter if they participate or not in varsity sports. There are some exceptions to the rule which allows repetition of a grade before high school. In this case, it sounds as if Craig McDonald could and should be an exception to the rule.