Another chapter of the request for a temporary restraining order by former Ursuline football players to return to the field took place on Monday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.

Magistrate Nicole Butler denied the former Fighting Irish players’ second request for a temporary restraining order on a ruling by the Ohio High School Athletic Association that stated that the former Ursuline athletes were ineligible for the remainder of the 2025 season.

The latest event took place after two Girard players were awarded a TRO in Trumbull County last week.

In Monday’s ruling, the plaintiffs (the families of the players) stated that several players have filed for an exception through the OHSAA, which was one of the factors that led to the players having their initial request denied on Sept. 23 by the Mahoning County Common Pleas Court. The plaintiffs also stated that none of the exceptions have been granted and some have been denied by the state’s high school athletics governing body. Meanwhile, the OHSAA appeals process could take “one to three weeks.

There are three weeks remaining in the 2025 football season.

In the court’s previous ruling, it stated that the players needed to fulfill four requirements to be granted a TRO. They needed to show that the players would suffer harm by not returning to the field, that they would prevail in their case, that third parties would not be harmed and that it would serve public interest.

While both rulings in Mahoning County found that the players would suffer without a TRO, they also said that the other three factors were not present.

The plaintiffs previously alleged that OHSAA Executive Director Doug Ute’s decision was made arbitrarily, and that he refused to exercise discretion while interpreting OHSAA bylaws. They also allege that the midseason transfer rule did not apply in this instance.

However, the ruling cited a court case from 1962, when Canton McKinley was found to have committed recruiting violations. The Ohio Supreme Court ruled that the OHSAA is “an unincorporated association” and that the courts do not have jurisdiction regarding the OHSAA’s “internal affairs” since high schools have the decision to be OHSAA members.

“The court understands that this is a unique situation. However, the rules still apply; and even when it is difficult, it is important for the court to exercise restraint,” Monday’s ruling stated. “In fact, as articulated by the Ohio Supreme Court, it is required in this instance.”