BELLEVUE, Wash. -- Just hours after the KingCo Conference banned the Bellevue High School football program from the post-season for four years, the man who lead that team to storied heights was defiant.
"Fight back," Butch Goncharoff said at a Bellevue School Board meeting. He urged the district to appeal the sanctions.
"Look, you may not like me. You may not like the Bellevue High School football club. I can live with that. But don't punish the kids."
Goncharoff got a standing ovation before his brief comments. And he left little doubt what he thinks of the investigation of the team he coached.
"This has been a set-up from Day 1," he said.
His heated comments came after the KingCo Conference dropped the hammer on the troubled Bellevue High School football program.
"The committee finds the preponderance of evidence that athletes were illegally recruited to the Bellevue High School Football Team," the conference said in a statement on Tuesday. "The committee believes that illegally recruited athletes are ineligible athletes. We believe the Bellevue School District and the WIAA (Washinton Interscholastic Activities Association) should continue an on-going, open investigation to determine the participation of the illegally recruited and ineligible athlete's participation in contests."
It also said that Bellevue's KingCo titles will be forfeited if WIAA, which governs high school sports in Washington, finds evidence for the team's state titles to be forfeited.
The football team has won 11 state titles since 2002.
The team's powerful and rich booster club will also be removed from the scene.
"For the 2016 through 2019 seasons (four years), the Bellevue HS Football Program may not receive any donations (including but not limited to money, services, equipment, products etc.) from any outside public or private entity. Bellevue HS Football will be limited to the funds provided to them by their district approved budgetary process. In the spring of 2018, the Bellevue Athletic Director may appeal to the KingCo League for these sanctions to be dropped. If the League determines that BHS has put in to place standards, procedures, and safe-guards for accepting funds from outside entities, including booster clubs, the League may reinstate the acceptance of these funds," the conference said.
The conference also said the school's entire athletic department will be on probation for four school years: 2016-2017 through 2019-2020.
The booster club issued a statement voicing disappointment with the sanctions and saying that the conference apparently "adopted - without a critical eye - the flawed rule interpretations and false inferences on which the WIAA report was based."
The WIAA's report came out in April.
The booster club said the school district approved its activities that were the subject of the investigation and that those activities were within the rules.
"... the four-year penalties will fall mainly on kids who had nothing to do with this dispute. Robbing our kids' right to compete is not the solution, nor is depriving them of the ability to receive the same booster support that other area teams receive. Supporting athletics, the arts, and other extracurricular activities is precisely what the community should be doing, and the conference's action sets a precedent that should raise a red flag to everyone. We will continue to defend our right, and the right of booster clubs around the state, to make these activities available to kids."
Among other sanctions that the conference imposed are these:
Bellevue HS Varsity and JV football teams are limited to 3A league games only for the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
Bellevue HS will not be allowed to play non-league football games in the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
Bellevue HS Football teams will not be allowed to play out of state opponents in home or away contests during the 2016 thru 2019 seasons.
The report issued Tuesday had these findings on allegations against the team:
Whether coaches directed athletes to the Academic Institute (a small, private for-profit school in Bellevue)
No Violation
Whether boosters paid tuition of athletes at the Academic Institute.
The committee finds that by a preponderance of evidence a violation is confirmed.
Whether athletes used false addresses to gain eligibility.
Bellevue High School has submitted that a violation is confirmed.
Whether athletes received subsidized housing to gain eligibility.
No Violation
Whether coaches coordinated payments for athletes.
The committee finds that by a preponderance of evidence a violation is confirmed.
Whether players used Academic Institute to maintain eligibility.
No Violation
Whether financial payments were made to coaches without approval from the BSD Board of Directors.
Bellevue High School has submitted that a violation is confirmed.
Whether financial payments to support football camp are excessive and in violation of WIAA Rule 27.1.0.
Bellevue High School has submitted that a violation is confirmed.
Whether there was a failure to self-report money provided to a players' family.
The committee finds that by a preponderance of evidence a violation is confirmed.
Whether athletes have been illegally recruited.
The committee finds that by a preponderance of evidence a violation is confirmed.
This is a developing story. We will have more later.
http://ift.tt/1taVq4H High School Football team banned from state playoffs for the next four years. The school has been charged of illegally recruiting players, which has resulted in the team winning 11 of the past 14 state titles. via top scoring links : news http://ift.tt/1UoXY5E
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