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Editorial |
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Playing by the rules Nov. 16 - We hear a lot about bringing “character” to our classrooms but what happened with North Gaston High School and its fight to stay in football playoff contention says a lot more about what’s really going on in some schools. It appears, at least to those supporting North Gaston’s bid, that having a winner on the football field is more important than following rules and eligibility requirements. Here’s what happened. The N.C. High School Athletic Association forced North Gaston to forfeit nine games, including six victories, after learning the school used an ineligible player during the season. School officials claimed the records showed he had passing grades, and that they had been falsified. The disqualification was viewed here in Lincoln County as a big break for a hard-playing East Lincoln High School team, which suddenly became eligible for a playoff berth. The Mustangs struggled with early losses and the tragic death of their backup quarterback, but played surprisingly well toward the end of their schedule. But then parents of some of the North Gaston players got together and decided to appeal the high school association’s ruling to a Gaston judge. It’s worrisome that the North Carolina judiciary would tamper with athletic eligibility rules unless some major legal issue was at stake. We didn’t see it in this case. The Gaston County judge held that the association didn’t hear enough evidence, and then made the incredible interpretation that, if a school doesn’t know an athlete’s grades are falsified, it should not be held responsible for fielding that player. In other words, if you can figure out a way to play dumb you can go ahead and use ineligible players all you want. The judge ruled in favor of North Gaston. At this point we would have expected the athletic association, which represents some 300 schools in North Carolina, to immediately appeal that decision. It didn’t. We heard a very lame excuse that it would disrupt the playoffs. The Lincoln County School Board finally had to take action on its own to try to correct this comedy of errors. The board successfully persuaded the association to join in an appeal to a higher court. We credit Gaston County’s Schools Superintendent, Dr. Ed Sadler, for calling in the Gaston County law enforcement authorities to determine how the student’s grades were altered. This investigation is critical. Whatever happens in court, there are some “character” issues in this fight. Here they are: Any high school that fields an ineligible player should assume the responsibility that goes with that oversight. That means it should voluntarily forfeit all the games in which the ineligible player participated and quickly find out why academic records were not reviewed. The parents of high school athletes have a responsibility to support the rules and regulations which govern high school athletics. If they don’t, they are serving as poor examples for their children. The state’s high school athletic association should pursue enforcement of its rules and regulations if it is to truly represent all of the teams its represents. In this case, the association finally came around, but not without some prodding.
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© 2001 Lincoln Times-News |
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