The Kentucky High School Athletic Association had to know that its new rule would be challenged.
Attempting to stifle the recruiting of football players by Trinity and St. X, the KHSAA passed a rule that said students who get scholarships for high school tuition at private schools can’t play sports.
Only the problem is that all kinds of private school students get academic scholarships. And one Presentation student, whose parents are thrilled that she earned an academic scholarship to offset the $8,500 annual tradition, is faced with not being able to play volleyball if she gets more than 25 percent of her tuition paid by someone else. So she, and apparently a lot of other students, may have to accept smaller scholarships if they want to play sports.
And the rule isn’t likely to stop the big football powers from bringing in a few talented football players from Indiana (Duece Finch) or local public schools (Jordan Whiting) to supplement their Catholic school pipeline. Don’t let anyone try to tell you it’s not done.
Teddy Gordon, the local attorney who argued against the JCPS racial guidelines, and won, at the U.S. Supreme Court, is taking on the case and suing the KHSAA. He should win this one, too.
The KHSAA must realize that it can’t have a one-rule-fits-all policy in order to stop the recruiting of high school athletes. Its best option — form an investigative arm to look at individual cases. Respond to complaints by actually taking a look at individual athletes, making sure they actually live where they say they do.
In fact, we’re told there’s a growing problem among JCPS high schools in which recruiters make sure certain basketball players end up playing at schools that hope to become local powers.
Investigate complaints. Hand out penalties. That’s what the NCAA does. On a smaller scale, the KHSAA could do it too.
3 responses so far ↓
1 Terry Sullivan // Jul 23, 2009 at 10:14 pm
This is all Bravo Sierra. St. X does not recruit. I can’t speak for Trinity. Every erstwhile football player wants to go to one or the other because they will likely be on a state championship team. St. X’s biggest problem is that they cannot handle all the talent that comes there.
The owner of this blog has a woodie for St X and Trinity because his kid played for a team that was usually their whipping boy. He fails to point out that his son’s school, Manual recruits students based on academic prowess and will kick students to the curb who don’t perform at the academic level they require….and their principal was one of the leading whiners about the football success of the dynamic duo. While I value this website, it should be carefully noted that the owner of it has some unique biases that he passes off as fact. I suspect he won’t have the testicular fortitude to publish this post because he doesn’t like to be challenged and he is afraid to brook too much criticism. Pity. He has a real talent but some extremely thin skin.
2 rickredding // Jul 24, 2009 at 8:21 am
Terry – There’s plenty of evidence of recruiting of football players at X and Trinity. And it’s been that way for decades, and it’s an accepted part of local sports. The point here is that the new rules from the KHSAA don’t solve the problem and serves to harm kids. If the Catholic schools want to reward high-scoring students with financial aid, be it for academics or athletics, I’m all for it.
If only the KHSAA would create an investigative arm, and operate the way the NCAA does in policing its schools, it could look into specific charges of recruiting violations and come down with penalties for violations. And clear schools who aren’t guilty.
As for Manual, yes, it does take more than a parent’s ability to write a check to get in.
3 Terry Sullivan // Jul 25, 2009 at 5:17 pm
Prove it, Rick. Prove that St. X pays football players to go there. If you’re referring to the Deuce Finch issue, I challenged Robbie Valentine, Tony Bennett and their ilk to prove their charges. Other than Robbie calling me to squirt squid ink into the water, there was no response. Clark County got their panties in a wad because Deuce (a remarkable kid from FLOYD COUNTY) went to St. X. I suspect if you’d have had the dough to send your kid to Mighty Tigerland, you’d have done so. I made the sacrifice.
Leave a Comment