MANCHESTER — Memorial High School Principal Arthur Adamakos said Thursday the school “goofed” when it came to obtaining the proper waiver for a student whose eligibility for athletics has been suspended.

In an interview, Adamakos said he is cooperating with an investigation by the New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association into the eligibility of a sophomore football player.

The player was suspended from the football team Wednesday after his father said in an unpublished interview with the New Hampshire Union Leader that he moved his son from Manchester High School Central to Memorial in part to get him more playing time.

An investigation could result in up to three years of sanctions for the Crusaders, according to the NHIAA, and it's likely Memorial will have to forfeit any games in which the boy played.

Memorial hosts Central in football Saturday afternoon at Chabot-McDonough Field.

Central Principal Ronald Mailhot said he's already submitted a written report to the NHIAA and he does not expect any repercussions for Central. Adamakos said he anticipates submitting a written report to NHIAA in a couple of days.

The student at the center of the investigation started the 2011-12 academic year at Central but spent the last three months of the school year at Memorial, the principals said.

NHIAA by-laws bar a student-athlete from a year of athletics if he transfers to another school. A waiver is possible, but it must be submitted by the receiving school and approved in writing by the NHIAA.

Under no circumstances does the NHIAA approve a waiver for athletic reasons, such as a preferred coach or an opportunity for more playing time.

According to the “NHIAA Handbook,” the rationale behind the Transfer Rule (Section 4 of By-Law Article II on eligibility) is that it “assists in the prevention of students switching schools in conjunction with the change of athletic season for athletic purposes; (and) impairs recruitment and reduces the opportunity for undue influence to be exerted by persons seeking to benefit from a student-athlete's prowess.”

Adamakos acknowledged that the school did not obtain the necessary waiver for the student.

“The NHIAA part, we goofed on,” he said.

He said coaches ask students at the beginning of the season if they are new to Memorial, or if they transferred but did not change their residential address.

The student in question was not new to Memorial, Adamakos said.

“(Head coaches) are responsible to tell us who's on the team, where they're playing, and what are the circumstances that we have to file (waiver) affidavits,” he said.

Adamakos, who took a sick leave May 11 and did not return to school until the start of the current academic year, said he can't specifically address individual students' standing.

The veteran principal said he won't approve transfers he considers suspicious. When he meets with students interested in transferring, he said, he tells them they can't do so for sports-related reasons.

“The minute sports are mentioned with me, I cut the conversation short: 'Forget it; it's not going to happen,'” he said.

During those conversations, Adamakos said, he hopes the student and parents are forthcoming. Most times they are, he said.

“Every once in a while, we're blindsided by these things and we have to deal with these issues,” he said.

Adamakos guessed Memorial has two athletes who transferred this season. They would have both done so in August.

At Central, Mailhot said officials followed proper procedures in allowing the student to transfer to Memorial. It's up to the new school to seek the NHIAA waiver and submit a copy to the former school, he said.

“We did not sign off on any NHIAA forms at all,” Mailhot said. “All we did was our internal transfer forms.”

On Wednesday, an NHIAA official told the Union Leader he would take immediate action if the transfer were based on false information.

Depending on what the NHIAA's investigation determines, penalties against one or both schools could be far more severe than the simple forfeiture of games, said Patrick Corbin, the NHIAA's executive director. Offending schools could be suspended from tournament participation for up to three years, Corbin said.

“This is a serious matter, and it's very disturbing to me,” he said.

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Mark Hayward may be reached at mhayward@unionleader.com.