Powell Jr. hails from Emporia, a small town in downstate Virginia, where he played for Brunswick Academy as a quarterback. After playing on the private school’s team, his father moved to Washington, D.C. with his son’s career in mind, hoping he would have greater exposure to college coaches.

Powell Sr., a former Marine, moved to the city, rented an apartment and got a security job to enroll his son in Eastern High. The football coach, Roman Morris, was delighted to have Powell Jr. on the team, which was doomed before the coach’s revival. They had less than 20 players and now have more than 50.

Morris was counting on Powell Jr. to be the team’s quarterback until an anonymous school filed a protest with the DCPS Athletics Department and commenced their investigation.

Since then, as reported by  7News, Powell Sr. claims investigators have called his landlord at the apartment complex to confirm his residence, and he presented his lease. Immediately after, DCPS urgently requested Powell Jr.’s transcripts from Virginia.

In order to play sports for Eastern, students are required to hold a GPA of no less than 2.0. Eastern Rambler’s Academic Coach, Derrick Brown, asserted that Powell Jr.’s grades at his previous school met the requirement and were at or above 2.0.

“Yes, he’s more than eligible. He was supposed to be on the field [a] long time ago,“ said Brown.

The conflict has left many of the Eastern High community, football supporters and alumni, up in arms.

Powell Sr. said he was concerned about his son.

“I know someone in DCIAA (District of Columbia Interscholastic Athletic Association) made an egregious mistake. They don’t want to admit their mistake,” Brown expressed.

Powell Jr., who is currently in the 11th grade, will be eligible to play for the team if he earns a 2.0 GPA by the time the next DCPS report cards come out on Nov. 7.

“My son’s been playing football since he was seven years old and he’s been denied this whole year playing,” said his father.

Eastern High alumni are angered by the situation and are now involving the school’s previous principal, Ralph Neal (who is now retired) to look into the matter.

“Past practice has been that you accept the sending school’s transcript,” noted Neal, who’s held positions in DCPS from sports coach to assistant superintendent.

The former principal is wondering why DCIAA is attempting to calculate some other schools’ grade points.

“I’m thinking somebody made a mistake and they calculated incorrectly,” continued Neal. He added he’s gone over the transcript from Virginia and agrees with the 2.0, or a grade of C.

Neal proposed 7News review the transcript, and then the policy by DCPS signed by Chancellor Lewis Ferebee as of August 2021.

The transcript looks as though Shaun Powell Jr. should be eligible to play quarterback for Eastern High School.

7News reportedly reviewed the transcript and policy. The Virginia school he previously attended calculates on the percentile scale and shows Powell Jr.’s number at 79%. Neal referred 7News to the DCPS charts, which showed 79% as a C+ and anything above 72% as a C or 2.0.

However, Powell Sr. frustratedly shared he received a letter from DCIAA stating that his son is not eligible based on grades. At this point, the father said he’s considering taking legal action.

Homecoming week at Eastern High was recently celebrated and Powell Sr. had hopes that his son would be able to play. Instead, he had to share with his son that because of the letter he is still unable to play.

“I had to explain to him that he’s still not eligible. Mentally, he’s not in the best place right now,” said Powell Sr.

When report cards come around again on Nov. 7, if Powell Jr. earns a GPA of 2.0 or higher at Eastern High, he will be eligible to play, but his father isn’t pleased. He said that by then the season is all but over. The championship game is on Thanksgiving Day.

We don’t get it.  What’s really going on here? If the transcripts clearly show he’s at 79%, and requirements are 72%, what’s the real reason they aren’t letting Powell Jr. play? It sounds fishy to us.