Yet Another Athletics Scandal - This Time It's Roosevelt High School

This story comes from KUOW and boy, does it stink, especially because of the penalties that will hurt other athletes.

Roosevelt has not traditionally been a strong football contender, but the team made it to the state playoffs this year for the first time in a decade, finishing second in the Metro League behind football powerhouse Bellevue High School.

Gee, I wonder how that happened. 

District staff, coaches, and students at Seattle’s Roosevelt High School face wide-ranging sanctions after the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) found that the football program illicitly recruited students. The penalties include fines, suspensions and forfeiture of past games. 

A months-long investigation by an independent factfinder for the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) came after coaches at districts across the region reported that Roosevelt football coaches were trying to lure students to transfer to their school with the promise that it would help them get noticed by college football recruiters.

The story reports that there were 20 new players this year at RHS who played for other schools/districts in previous years.  How can you get so many new student athletes? Have them register as homeless. We've seen this tactic used in another SPS high school. It needs to stop. 

Interestingly:

The WIAA launched the probe after an initial investigation by Roosevelt Principal Tami Brewer and Athletic Director Danny Thompson determined that there was no evidence of recruiting.

So Roosevelt's leadership couldn't find anything? I'd see a red flag with all those new students.

The hammer came down hard:

The WIAA ordered that the Roughriders forfeit all football games that included ineligible players in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years, and barred the football team from postseason play next school year. All Roosevelt players deemed to have lied to gain eligibility will be benched from interscholastic play for one year. 

Adams and Patu will not be allowed to coach at WIAA member schools next school year. The WIAA put the athletic departments of both Seattle Public Schools and Roosevelt High on three-year probation and required WIAA District 2 approval of all athletes who join the school’s teams as transfer students. 

The WIAA announced it will bar head Roosevelt varsity football coach Sam Adams and assistant coach Saul Patu from coaching at WIAA member schools for one year, and levy $2,500 fines against those it found culpable, including Brewer, Thompson, Adams, Patu, assistant football coach Dominique Skeen, and Pat McCarthy, executive director of athletics for Seattle Public Schools. 

The WIAA said it will also issue a $2,500 fine against the district’s athletic department.

I would also ask if Roosevelt's leadership had asked Pat McCarthy, director of Athletics for SPS, for help. And yes, $2500 is a drop in the bucket for the overall SPS athletic budget except for most schools, that kind of money could be put to good use for their athletic budgets.

What does the district say? Pretty much what you'd think.

Seattle Public Schools spokesperson Sophia Charchuk did not respond to interview requests, but said in an emailed statement: “The district takes these findings seriously and is committed to upholding the integrity of our athletic programs. SPS has already strengthened its student residency and school assignment verification processes, and is reviewing the WIAA’s report to determine next steps.” 

Charchuk said the district is awaiting formal sanction letters from WIAA before commenting further on the recruiting findings.