When contacted asked to comment on the incident, Joseph said, “Honestly rather not. Both programs have met this AM with district officials and are working on a proactive resolution in being a collective united front for our community. No need to report on this matter as it is water under the bridge at this point. We stand united and look to put on a great game Oct. 4th.”

Less than two weeks later, and still ahead of the official FHSAA start date for fall practice, Miami Central 4-star defensive back Amari Wallace, a University of Miami commit, suffered a serious season-ending knee injury during what his family lawyer called an “illegal scrimmage.”

The scrimmage, which allegedly took place on the football field at Miramar High School in Broward County, was an 11-on-11 unsanctioned, non-contact, un-padded scrimmage, according to a “notice of claims” filed with Miami Dade and Broward counties, by attorney David Brill on behalf Wallace’s parents, Akins Wallace and Ebonie Gearing. Brill said, Wallace suffered his injury after intercepting a pass and landing awkwardly on his left leg, in a hole in the field, which Brill said was “unsafe” and “not yet readied for use.”

Wallace suffered a clean fracture of his tibial shaft which required surgery to repair, several weeks of confinement to a wheel chair and months or rehabilitation. His status for his true freshman season at Miami remains uncertain.

Under Florida’s sovereign immunity statute each school board has up to six months to respond to the notifications they have received. No legal proceedings can be initiated prior to the conclusion of this six month period. In the interim, the parties are free to communicate and potentially negotiate a settlement to the matter.

In November, shortly after the forfeits were announced, Joseph took to social media to defend himself, his staff and the program. In a post titled “Moment of Clarity,” Joseph wrote the following.

“We have been silent long enough. It is unfortunate that our football season has ended; however, it is unfair for our students and staff to end without the record being set straight. The error that ended our season was not because of fault or intentional wrong doing of myself nor the football coaching staff. The error that ended our season does not negate all of the hard work and determination that was exemplified by our players on and off the field and they deserve to be celebrated and feel proud of their accomplishments! I encourage you all to take a step back and urge you not to feed in to the false narratives that are being pushed right now. Everyone wants to see the giants fall, but we know that the truth will be revealed! The Miami Central Rockets are eligible to play football this upcoming season, there is no season ban for 2025-2026. We will be able to Compete for a STATE and NATIONAL Championship next year. The Rockets will be back and better than ever as we are committed to using this time to sharpen our skills and instill the proper values in our entire team. -Head Coach Jube Joseph #BackBetterThanEver #NoFreeRings #NeighborhoodHeroes”

Miami Central may indeed be back in contention for a state and national championship in 2025, but if it is, the Rockets will do so under the direction of a new head coach.