FAIRHOPE - Second-year Robertsdale head coach Justin Jones and 10 Golden Bears players will be able to take part in the team's Friday night home contest against Fairhope, thanks to temporary restraining orders filed in two different counties this week.

Baldwin County circuit judge Ashley W. Siebert granted Jones a TRO against the AHSAA on Friday morning, allowing the coach to return to the sidelines.

The 10 student-athletes were awarded an order by Montgomery circuit judge Greg Griffin late Thursday, which enabled them to suit up for Friday's game.

The AHSAA's initial issues with Robertsdale regarded the eligibility of multiple football players who had joined the roster this past offseason.

Alabama's high school athletics organization requested information about the athletes' residence and rent payments earlier this year, which representatives from the school explained was resolved.

But just last week, the AHSAA sent a message to the Baldwin County Board of Education and Robertsdale's principal explaining that it had received an anonymous letter from a source that presented evidence regarding the football program's apparent "recruitment" of players.

This led to the AHSAA asking for additional information on the players and expanding their inquiry from three to 10 athletes.

According to attorney Tom Loper, who was representing Coach Jones in the courtroom, officials from the school board apparently gave improper information to the AHSAA.

That prompted a Tuesday letter from the AHSAA that notified the school of Jones and his players' suspension, pending proper documents are received for their eligibility.

Thus, an emergency hearing was set for Friday morning at the Baldwin County Satelite Courthouse, in hopes that Jones could secure a TRO enabling him to coach in his team's game later that night.

The AHSAA's representatives presented arguments surrounding the need for any organization-related court proceedings to occur in Montgomery County, per their bylaws, as well as the school's failure to provide proper information on the students in a timely manner.

Loper and the defendants emphasized that the coaches nor players had been notified of this suspension, calling into question the AHSAA's policy of only contacting prinicpals/school officials when it comes to communications of this nature.

They also challenged the venue argument, explaining that coach Jones has no right to an appeal process in the same way that the school board does, and thus he can't be held to the same standards of the handbook without having the same rights.

Regarding the phone numbers being made available, the AHSAA eventually requested that up to seven months (dating back to Jan. 2026) of call logs from the coaches be made available to them, as well as numbers from players and their family members.

Jones and his staff attempted to oblige, but as Loper explained, Cricket Wireless stated that it is unable to provide any logs prior to one month in the past without a court-ordered subpoena. In addition, multiple players' families consulted with lawyers and refused to provide further contact information.

The defendants also called into question the AHSAA's conduct in this investigation, emphasizing how the communications they received were not typical of the organization, blasting the increase from three to 10 players while also describing the push for phone records as "violent."

Loper's final arguments revolved around Jones facing the punishments of being presumed guilty without due process, and he also delved into the "irreperable damage" that this suspension could cause towards the coach, his players and the Robertsdale community.

And in the end, Jones joined his players in being granted a TRO to take part in Friday's game against Fairhope, which is set to kick off at 7 p.m.

*Gulf Coast Media will have coverage of the intra-county matchup.*