One of the most popular American football docu-series returned to Netflix last year on August 16th, 2020 for its third season.
QB1: Beyond the Lights follows three of America’s up-and-coming football stars through their last season of high school football. And one of the focusses is Arizona’s number 1 quarterback, Spencer Rattler.
Spencer has dominated the top spot as QB throughout his high school career until he was suspended for the rest of the football season. So what did Spencer Rattler do to be deemed ineligible and why do they not address it on the show?
Spencer’s QB1 suspension
In episode 9 of QB1 season 3, it comes to light that Spencer Rattler would not be partaking in the Chaparral game as he had a sprained MCL. Spencer did not know when he would return to the field but predicted three to five weeks.
But as it was revealed, Spencer had not injured himself but was suspended from the team for the rest of the high school season. In episode 10, Spencer admitted he had “messed up” with a “childish, dumb mistake.”
Spencer had already committed to Oklahoma University and had plenty of footage, so his future plans were not interfered with.
However, the question about what 18-year-old Spencer Rattler did hung over the rest of the season.
- READ MORE: Is Spencer Rattler albino?
What did Spencer Rattler do?
At the time Spencer was deemed ineligible to play, a school representative said Spencer had “violated district code of conduct.” Essentially, he broke the school’s policy for an undisclosed reason.
Radio reports in the episode say that: “it involved an incident on campus. It was not criminal, it was victimless and yet he broke some rules.”
Spencer’s parents Michael and Susan, along with the Pinnacle team were hush-hush about what had gone down but rumours began to surface immediately. As the only district code of conduct violation that results in a suspension from the football season is a drug or alcohol violation, it is obviously to do with this.
Speculations have centred largely on the theory that Spencer was smoking marijuana in a school parking lot and was caught. This seems to be the most believed theory but they have also ranged to underage drinking and failing a urinalysis.
Michael Rattler claimed it was nothing to do with sex or drugs in episode 10 of QB1 season 3 but he did not exclude drinking. So underage drinking on campus might be the main reason Spencer was deemed ineligible.
Why did they not say what Spencer did?
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) permits that no details about suspensions or ineligibility rulings need to be made public. And that would still apply on the QB1 documentary as well!
As Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley said he had “zero concern” about the suspension from the Pinnacle team in December 2018, we imagine it can’t have been too serious.
Spencer’s mother Susan even said the incident had not been placed on his record.
Whatever truly happened hasn’t impacted Spencer’s progression to becoming a top NFL star and that is the most important thing to take from all the drama.
- QB1 SEASON 4: Confirmed quarterbacks and potential start date
Spencer Rattler won’t start at Oklahoma
In a shock twist, the High School Quarterback of the Year will not be the starting quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners come September 1st.
Spencer decided not to early enroll as he wanted to spend the rest of his senior year at Pinnacle with friends and family. But that decision meant that QB Jalen Hurts had the upper hand, as he began training with the Sooners in spring.
Hurts transferred from Alabama and has beat out Spencer and redshirt freshman Tanner Mordecai to the starting QB position.
This decision has nothing to do with Spencer’s inelligibility in his senior year at high school.
WATCH QB1: BEYOND THE LIGHTS SEASON 3 ON NETFLIX
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