Hazelton to Await CIF Decision Before Seeking Action in Court

John Hazelton is awaiting word from the California Interscholastic Federation on the status of his appeal before seeking a temporary restraining order to regain his job as an assistant football coach at Montclair Prep.

The CIF office received official word of Hazelton’s appeal Monday and will take a few days to review the case, according to state commissioner Thomas Byrnes.

Hazelton is appealing a one-year suspension recommended by the Southern Section for recruiting violations. The Southern Section rejected Hazelton’s appeal last week.

The state office has numerous options, including dismissing the case, remanding it to the Southern Section, overturning the penalty or ordering a full hearing with witnesses, according to Byrnes.

“The state is the final body and we’ve got a lot of flexibility,” Byrnes said. “We can do just about anything we need to do.”

If the case warrants a hearing, the CIF would need a few weeks to prepare, Byrnes said.

The CIF also has the option of staying the penalty before a full hearing is convened.

If the CIF declines to stay the penalty, Hazelton will seek an injunction, according to his attorney, Daniel Grigsby.

“Football starts Aug. 26 and we’d like to have this resolved one way or another by then,” Grigsby said.