“We had low numbers in the junior and senior classes and several of those players were out for football for the first time,” North Fond du Lac athletic director Matt Bertram said. “It became a safety issue. If someone gets hurt, the next player up in many cases was a freshman. With the strength of our conference and who we play, it was not a safe situation to have.”
Bertram — who took over as athletic director this summer — said the school identified a possible issue last spring when a sign-up for football was held and the numbers were low.
However, there were an additional 10 to 12 upperclassmen that signed up to play but did not report when the season started last week.
“They said they were coming out, but it just never materialized,” Bertram said.