‘Heartbreak:’ Ballou High School Football Player Ineligible Due to Homelessness

A Ballou High School football player’s future is uncertain after he was sidelined from the team apparently because he doesn’t have a permanent address.

Jamal Speaks says he is homeless and sleeps on friends’ couches. He often heads to football practice after school, but on Tuesday his team went on without him.

“It’s a heartbreak,” Speaks said. “I can’t even practice right now. Participate.”

The 18-year-old senior, who has an offer to play football at Temple University, was kicked off the team at a game on Saturday because of the residency question.

Speaks told News4 that his father died and he doesn’t speak with his mother.

Two years ago, he faced a similar problem and thought he had sorted it out.

“I already proved that I was a homeless resident,” Speaks said.

D.C. Public School officials say the State Athletic Association ruled that Speaks is eligible to play. But the athletic association for D.C. Public Schools says officials can’t verify where Speaks lives.

“It was demeaning to the young man,” said Monet Anderson, who reports on high school football in the area for Top Sports.

Ward 8 Council Member Trayon White wrote a letter to the school system in support of Speaks.

“It’s incumbent upon me to get this boy support he needs to not only play football but to be successful in life and go to college,” White said.

Speaks says he just hopes to practice with teammates, graduate and attend Temple University as officials investigate.