Overview

• Ryan Leary, a 16-year-old multi-sport standout, chose to play football full-time after the district told him he could not compete in soccer and football this fall.
• Superintendent Ted Cannone delivered the decision during the first week of football practice, calling two high-contact sports in one season inadvisable for student safety and team equity.
• Nassau County’s Section 8 handbook permits dual participation if practice requirements are met and a primary sport is designated, and its executive director said he has never seen a school deny such a request.
• Leary and his coaches discussed the plan over the summer and he was told by the athletic director he could pursue both sports before the district reversed course.
• The district offered a compromise that would allow Leary to play full-time soccer while serving only as the football kicker, and his family says his new role at wide receiver factored into officials’ concerns.