KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- Knox County School Superintendent Dr. Jim McIntyre has determined that eight Austin-East High School football players will not suit up for the Roadrunners' playoff game with Knoxville Catholic Friday.

The decision comes following the player's arrests on charges of felony theft and evading arrest from what Knoxville Police and the Knox County Sheriff's Office describe as a shoplifting sting that netted
arrests of 25 others.

School district spokesman Russ Oaks describes the Superintendent's actions as an administrative decision, but not a disciplinary action.

"You're supposed to be innocent until proven guilty, " says Knoxville resident Mary McCannelley. "It could be circumstantial."

"I would be very concerned as a parent," says fellow Knoxvillian Robbie Pryor. "I wouldn't think football would be in their best interest
right now, but you only go through high school once, and I would hate to deprive them of a moment when they could be innocent of the charges."

"There's absolutely nothing pertaining to policy that I have found dealing with this situation, " says Joseph Fanduzz, an attorney who
represents juveniles and adults in criminal matters.

"You're innocent until proven guilty, but not necessarily at school or on the team--so it's purely up to the coach, whether or not their conduct is such that he should let them play."

Knox County Schools Code of Student conduct makes clear that
principals and administrators can exercise control over students "while under the superivision of the school system," and that such authority
extends to "all activities under school sponsorship and direction."

Policies on interscholastic athletics make clear that coaches and administrators can suspend players for "unsportsmanlike" conduct
during athletic contests and/or other school activities.

Tennessee Code 49-6-3401 allows administrators to suspend students accused of criminal conduct off campus, provided such criminal charges are felonies, and that a student's return to the classroom or school "would pose a danger to other students or would disrupt the educational process."

District spokesman Russ Oaks says all eight football players remain students at Austin-East High School.