CIF deems 19 high school football players ineligible at Bishop Montgomery

After an internal investigation from the school, the CIF Southern Section declared 19 football players ineligible until 2027.

Bishop Montgomery High School has been at the center of a high school football scandal involving ineligible players and a booster playing families to compete in the program. / BMHS

A ruling from the CIF Southern Section regarding the high school football debacle at Bishop Montgomery High School finally came Friday.

"Based upon the investigation, self-reporting, and findings of Bishop Montgomery High School, along with CIF Southern Section’s own independent review, the Southern Section has determined that multiple students transferred to Bishop Montgomery High School to play varsity football for the 2025-2026 school year in violation of CIF bylaws," the section's statement reads. "Notification has been sent to Bishop Montgomery High School administrators and parents/guardians of the football transfer student-athletes. Those determinations [have been/will be] posted on the CIF-Southern Section website in conformance with Section practices. The CIF-Southern Section and its staff will not comment on individual student athletic eligibility."

The noticeable result: 19 football players were denied eligibility, according to the CIF Southern Section website. It means despite the varsity football season being canceled at Bishop Montgomery, these 19 players are prohibited to compete in any sports at Bishop Montgomery or any CIF high school until the fall of 2027.

Those that hoped to transfer and play elsewhere this season will not be able to.

This harsh penalty infers these student-athletes were in violation of CIF bylaws for likely falsifying information or undue influence (with connection with Brett Steigh, also known as the 'Money Man').

It's unlikely this story is over. Parents will probably appeal the decision or even sue the CIF Southern Section with the goal to get eligible right away or have the penalty of a two-year ban reduced in some way.

Below is an inverse timeline (from most recent news to news that was reported in August) of what's transpired at Bishop Montgomery.

ARCHDIOCESE ISSUES 'MONEY MAN' CEASE AND DESIST

The General Counsel of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, issued a cease and desist letter to Brett Steigh, also known as the high school football 'Money Man', ordering him stop engaging in any activities related to sports programs at the Catholic schools of the Archdiocese.

The letter cites Steigh's interview on the FATTAL FACTOR, a high school sports show on Youtube, where he claims that nobody has ever contacted him to stop.

"I've never been told by the CIF Southern Section, the LA City Section or the Catholic Archdiocese to stay away from these schools or anything like that," Steigh said. "If they told me to stop, I'd stop and follow all the rules."

The Archdiocese was listening.

Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles issued a cease and desist letter to Brett Steigh. / Archdiocese

Steigh was most recently involved in paying families at Bishop Montgomery High School to play football at the program. The school has since canceled its 2025 varsity football season due to the fallout of multiple issues (see below).

"The Archdiocese does not condone violations of CIF-SS Bylaws at its high schools. Therefore, I
am hereby requesting that you cease and desist from undertaking any activities, whether or not covered by Bylaw 510, involving any sports programs at any Catholic school in the Archdiocese." the letter reads. "This request is consistent with your statement on the "Fattal Factor" September 1 podcast, that, upon request by the Archdiocese, you would stop engaging in such conduct and "follow all the rules".

The high schools that fall under Department of Catholic Schools within the CIF Southern Section include:

ARCHDIOCESE OF LA
Alverno High School
Bellarmine-Jefferson High School
Bishop Alemany High School
Bishop Amat High School
Bishop Conaty-Our Lady of Loretto High School
Bishop Montgomery High School
Cathedral High School
Chaminade College Preparatory (West Hills)
Crespi Carmelite High School
Damien High School
Don Bosco Technical Institute, Rosemead
Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy
Immaculate Heart High School (Girls), Los Feliz
Junípero Serra High School, Gardena
La Salle High School (Pasadena)
Loyola High School of Los Angeles
Louisville High School, Woodland Hills
Mary Star of the Sea High School, San Pedro
Marymount High School, Bel-Air
Notre Dame Academy (Girls), Rancho Park
Notre Dame High School, Sherman Oaks
Paraclete High School, Lancaster
Providence High School, Burbank
Sacred Heart High School (Girls), Lincoln Heights
St. Anthony High School, Long Beach
St. Bernard High School, Playa del Rey
St. Genevieve High School, Panorama City
St. Joseph High School (Girls), Lakewood
St. Mary’s Academy (Girls), Inglewood
St. Pius X - St. Matthias Academy, Downey
Verbum Dei Jesuit High School (Boys), Watts

DIOCESE OF ORANGE
Cristo Rey Orange County High School, Santa Ana
Mater Dei High School, Santa Ana
Rosary Academy, Fullerton
Santa Margarita Catholic High School, Rancho Santa Margarita
Saint Michael’s Prep School, Silverado

DIOCESE OF SAN BERNARDINO
Aquinas High School, San Bernardino
Notre Dame High School, Riverside
Xavier College Preparatory High School, Palm Desert

SCHOOL PRESIDENT RESIGNS

Bishop Montgomery High School president Patrick Lee has resigned, according to a letter from the Catholic Archdiocese to school families Wednesday, which High School On SI obtained.

The resignation comes just weeks after a drama-filled scandal within the football program became regional news due to ineligible players, an on-field scuffle in Hawaii, and a school booster named Brett Steigh — known as the 'Money Man' — admitted to paying players to play football for the Knights on the FATTAL FACTOR September 1.

As a result of all that, the school decided to cancel the 2025 varsity season on Tuesday, Sept. 2.

Letter to Bishop Montgomery families stating school president Patrick Lee resigned. / Catholic Archdiocese

The 'Money Man', who claimed to have met with Lee in January of 2025 to talk about how they could ramp up the football program, said this would happen on FATTAL FACTOR.

"I guarantee you Pat Lee will deny he knows me. And
that’s not true," Steigh said on the show.

On September 2, Lee told the LA Times he never met Steigh.

“Neither the principal nor I ever met this man, spoke to him, emailed him, texted him, nothing," Lee told the Times via text.

Steigh then called how it would all go down, and he pretty much nailed it.

"I already know how this goes. The Archdiocese will tell the school what to
do, and they’ll comply," Steigh said on FATTAL FACTOR. "It happened to St. Bernard the same exact way. ... Ed’s going to get fired, right? Then later, the Archdiocese will come back and fire Pat
and Michelle.”

Ed Hodgkiss was the football coach. He did get fired. Pat resigned today. The status of principal Michele Starkey is unknown, however, her staff profile still remains active on the school website. Pat Lee's is no longer there.

As of Wednesday night (Sept. 10), Bishop Montgomery families and football players are awaiting a decision from the CIF Southern Section on what to do moving forward. Will the players be allowed to transfer with no penalty? Will they have to serve the one-game suspension from the suspensions in Hawaii?

A decision from CIF is likely to come sometime this week.

AUDIO: Inside Bishop Montgomery admin-parent meeting
VIDEO: Inside Bishop Montgomery player-admin meeting

VARSITY SEASON CANCELED

The Archdiocese canceled Bishop Montgomery High School's varsity football season for the 2025 campaign after what's been a disastrous start to the season, riddled with CIF rule violations, drama and headlines.

"School Administration took immediate steps to address the situation in the best interest of our students and school community. The self-report and steps taken by our school have been accepted by CIF-SS. Therefore, with deep regret we inform you that the varsity football program has been suspended for the 2025 season and all games are forfeited," the school's press release said.

Bishop Montgomery press release suspending 2025 football season. / Bishop Montgomery

Bishop Montgomery is a small private catholic school located in Torrance, Calif.

The school will still offer junior varsity level football. This could make it challenging for players to transfer with no penalty. According to CIF rules, if a school doesn't offer a sport (or a program is axed), the student-athlete is free to transfer to any school without need of a valid change of residence or having to serve a sit-out period.

HOW IT STARTED

The freefall began August 20 before a game was ever played. Five football players were deemed ineligible by the CIF Southern Section office and hit with Bylaw 202 (falsifying info), which disqualifies the student-athletes from varsity competition at any CIF school for up to 24 months.

Sources have told High School On SI that Bishop Montgomery had 24 football transfers.

The influx of football transfers at Bishop Montgomery was so egregious that CIF Southern Section commissioner Mike West went to the school to meet with administration in early August.

“In the 27-plus years I’ve worked at the CIF Southern Section, I’d say it’s not standard operating policy for the commissioner to visit a school and its administration over transfers," assistant commissioner Thom Simmons said.

THE 'MONEY MAN'

Brett Steigh, known as the 'Money Man' of high school football scene in Southern California, said his piece Monday night on FATTAL FACTOR, a live show on Youtube hosted by sports reporter Tarek Fattal.

Steigh, a self-proclaimed gambler, Narbonne High graduate, booster and businessman admitted to paying families to play high school football at stops that included Narbonne High (in 2018-19, and again in 2024), St. Bernard, and most recently Bishop Montgomery.

When Steigh was asked what's the most he's given a family, he said:

"If the kid is nice and he's a pro about it ... like $50,000," said Steigh. "(On top of) rent — $50,000, yea. It might sound like a lot of money, right? But when you win $300,000 on a bet ... that's my money for the year to pay the guys."

THE ON-FIELD SCUFFLE IN HAWAII

As if that wasn't enough drama, Bishop Montgomery got into an on-field, sideline clearing scuffle in Hawaii when it went to play Saint Louis in Honolulu.

With under a minute to play in a 34-27 loss, Bishop Montgomery and Saint Louis players cleared its respective sidelines to meet at midfield in a light skirmish that involved players and coaches.

Because Bishop Montgomery cleared its sidelines, suspensions were handed down which resulted in the Knights having to forfeit its Week 1 game at No. 1 Mater Dei on August 29 due to a lack of players.

"Bishop Montgomery unfortunately does not have enough healthy and eligible players to safely field a team against Mater Dei at this time," school principal Michele Starke said in a statement.

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported, "... tempers flared near the Saint Louis sideline. After some shoving, a Saint Louis player on the sideline ran three steps onto the field and backpedaled, triggering a penalty flag," the report reads.

"Then, a Saint Louis player yanked the helmet off a Bishop Montgomery player and both teams began to empty the benches into and ran to the hashmarks. Coaches on both sides berated each other at midfield."

feed

---

Bookmark High School on SI for all of the latest high school sports news.

To get live updates on your phone — as well as follow your favorite teams and top games — you can download the SBLive Sports app: 

Download iPhone App | Download Android App