News surfaced early Friday evening stating Ohio State offensive tackle commit Max Wray and his brother, Jake, had left the football team at Franklin, Tennessee, High School. No details were provided in the initial report from the Williamson Herald, though, other than that neither Wray was on the bus as the team headed to its game at Spring Hill.
BREAKING: OSU commit Max Wray and brother Jake Wray of Franklin not on team bus to Spring Hill. Sources say both left team. Developing...
— Herald Sports (@whsports) October 20, 2017
Their father, Sam, immediately denied the reports, however, and told Eleven Warriors that he, Max, Jake and their mother, Stacy, were in the stands cheering on the Rebels.
The elder Wray did not specify what happened to lead to them not playing on Friday night, but provided Eleven Warriors with the following statement:
"First, I want to make clear that Max and Jake did not, and would not, quit. Coach [Donnie] Webb and the Franklin High School administration are the reason that Max and Jake are not with their teammates. After several efforts to resolve this situation, we have not even been told whether Max and Jake are dismissed, suspended or even allowed to be with their teammates even if they aren’t playing.
"This is incredibly disappointing to the boys because they want to be playing with their teammates. We hope the Franklin High School administration is able to resolve the problems that have led to this situation promptly so that Max and Jake can return to the team.
"In the meantime, we stand ready to do anything necessary to support the Franklin High School football team. We ask that you respect that these are young men doing the best they can in a very difficult situation that is not of their own making."
Max Wray, a four-star recruit in the Class of 2018, committed to Ohio State in April. Jake, meanwhile, is a highly-touted offensive tackle recruit in his own right for the Class of 2020. He received an offer from the Buckeyes in March.
Franklin, coached by the aforementioned Webb, entered Friday night with a 1-7 record this season. Before this season, neither Wray brother had ever lost more than one-consecutive game in their high school careers.
The Rebels then beat the Raiders, 38-21.
Stay tuned to Eleven Warriors for more information on this developing story.
