Former Cowboys tight end Jason Witten’s wife, local 7-on-7 football coaches and other members of the community took to social media to call on TAPPS to reverse its decision to remove the Liberty Christian football team from the playoffs… or at least letting everyone know their disapproval of the decision.
A TAPPS state executive committee ruled Tuesday that Liberty Christian had used an ineligible player, forcing the Warriors to forfeit the games in which the player competed and drop out of the playoffs as the No. 1 seed.
TAPPS accused a Liberty Christian player of violating the “follow the coach” rule, which local 7-on-7 coach Undra Hendrix II said can be interpreted as a way of recruiting a player.
“The bylaw states that a student who transfers to a TAPPS member school shall not be eligible for varsity competition in a sport for a period of one year if a coach in that sport at the new school coached or trained the student during the previous 12 months,” said TAPPS in a statement.
According to TAPPS, Liberty Christian assistant coach Antonio Griffin had allegedly coached senior receiver Jace Johnson when he played for the LionHearted 7-on-7 team.
That is where the community said the governing body has it all wrong.
Hendrix claimed on social media he has coached Johnson on the West Texas Elite 7-on-7 team since he was a sophomore at Abilene Cooper High School.
Johnson transferred to Liberty Christian for his senior year.
When Hendrix moved to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, he supposedly merged West Texas Elite with LionHearted 7-on-7, which they claim is owned by Griffin, but not coached.
Liberty Christian senior Cooper Witten is in his senior year before going to play at the University of Oklahoma, the school his father, Cowboys legend and former Liberty Christian head coach Jason Witten, is currently serving as interim offensive coordinator.
Michelle Witten, wife of Jason and mother to Cooper, posted to her social media an email that TAPPS allegedly used to make its ruling.
The original email, shared directly with me tonight by a fellow Warrior football mom, says “Owned by Coach Griff.” The excerpt reportedly submitted to TAPPS says “Owned and Coached by Coach Griff.”
Why does that version include “and Coached”? I’m also sharing the full email so the omitted context can be seen.
@TXPSMedia
@TAPPSbiz
@TappsFootball
@TeamLSCSN
@startelegram
@DMNGregRiddle— Michelle Witten (@Witten82) November 5, 2026
Hendrix has also taken to social media, posting multiple videos and photos of Johnson donning West Texas Elite gear.
“I really feel for those kids,” he said in a video. “Because it doesn’t just affect Jace, it affects all the other kids on the team, all the seniors and everyone that put in work over the summer – and it was all taken away by TAPPS.”
Another Liberty Christian parent, Chris Olson, released a statement about his son, who is a senior this year. Olson is a retired coach of more than 30 years along Texas high school football sidelines.
“My son is a senior offensive lineman for Liberty Christian,” he said. “He is not a highly recruited prospect; he is a young man who has grinded, put in the grueling hours and worked tirelessly to earn his spot as a starter. As a family, we are acutely aware this playoff run might be his final go-around with competitive sports as he prepares to graduate and step into the next phase of his life.”
Olson went on to say he has always believed in the integrity of the game, but believes TAPPS made the wrong move in its recent judgment.
“If a violation of the rules is proven, then proper sanctions are warranted. Accountability is a cornerstone of the sport,” he said. “However, it must be stated firmly that in this specific instance, while the coach in question does own the 7-on-7 team, it has not been proven that he ever actually coached the athlete in question.”
Another social media account with “LionHearted OC/HC” in the bio has since come forward claiming to be the head coach of the program Johnson was on.
I have served as the head coach of Lionhearted 18U for the past several years, and this is documented. Antonio Griffin is the owner of Lionhearted, but I have always been the head coach responsible for overseeing and leading the 18U team.
— Quan Jones (@QuannJones) November 4, 2026
Liberty Christian School was the first to comment on the situation after TAPPS ruled the Warriors ineligible, disagreeing with the decision and vowing to consider all legal options to fight the ruling.
“We strongly disagree with the TAPPS ruling and we provided clear and unambiguous evidence to TAPPS which demonstrated our innocence against the false assertions that were made against our football program,” said the school in a statement. “This unfair ruling ignores the clear and obvious facts in this case, and we are considering our various legal options moving forward. We will continue to do everything we can to fight this unjust ruling.”
The Warriors were supposed to play St. Michael’s in the first round Friday, but Parish Episcopal will play instead after moving up in seeding following Liberty Christian’s removal.
Trinity Christian Academy was then entered into the bracket to fill the vacant spot.
TAPPS has delayed the first round of the football playoffs to rearrange the bracket, but has not released any information on whether an appeal has been, or can be, filed by Liberty Christian.
“My sincere hope is that the Liberty Christian football team will be given the chance to finish the season they earned between the white lines,” continued Olson. “Selfishly, as a father, I want nothing more than to take in that playoff moment with my son. Should Liberty Christian be rightfully reinstated to the bracket, I feel deeply for the TCA community and their players, who were suddenly handed the opportunity to compete in our place and would be impacted by a reversal.”
Olson, Michelle Witten and the rest of the voices that have spoken out agree the situation is unfair for everyone, especially with the decision coming the week of playoffs.
TAPPS, Liberty Christian lost its postseason after you ruled one of its players ineligible. The allegation was that Antonio Griffin coached that student in 7v7.
Under TAPPS rules, Griffin was permitted to own LionHearted. Liberty says Griffin hasn’t coached a LionHearted athlete since the end of 2023. Before the season, Liberty says it confirmed that its coaches hadn’t coached the student in 7v7 and that TAPPS cleared the student to play. What evidence changed that eligibility decision?
Feb. 7. Griffin dapped up the student on the sideline. A team owner greeting a player is like a principal or headmaster giving a player a high five after a big play. It’s a gesture of encouragement.
March 21–22. Sources say the complainants mistook another player for the Liberty student in footage from the TrueBuzz March Madness tournament at North Crowley High School. In a separate clip the complainants described as coaching, sources say Griffin made a sideline remark to a different player. The tournament app lists Griffin as “Club Admin” and “Checked In.”
Where was the Liberty student that weekend? Track results place him in Abilene on March 21. Basketball footage places him in Abilene again on March 22. What evidence placed him at North Crowley, and what specific interaction did TAPPS determine was coaching?
@Bdrumm_OUI @undrabigbabydra @TappsFootball @TAPPSbiz @TXPSMedia @TeamLSCSN @startelegram @dmn_cowboys @draftjm13 @dctf @texaselite_— Michelle Witten (@Witten82) November 5, 2026
Liberty Christian isn’t the only school in Argyle getting wrapped up in the issue of ineligible players.
Argyle High School lost junior quarterback Hayes Hackney for one game while the University Interscholastic League reviewed Hackney’s residency, but the original ineligible ruling was overturned and Hackney returned.
Lewisville High School went through a similar residency issue and Denton Ryan High School wasn’t able to get a transfer quarterback from Marcus cleared to play.
