Post by tothehouse on Oct 30, 2007 21:20:04 GMT -6
A few weeks ago this team was found to have recruited players, illegally, from America Samoa. After sanctions were brought against the football team and the school the SCHOOL WENT AGAINST THE STATE FEDERATION rules and PLAYED THE INELIGIBLE PLAYERS - Here is what the state did to the school
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Heading up to Tuesday's CIF Sac-Joaquin Section press conference that would brief reporters on the most recent ? and most serious ? offense yet by the Franklin High of Stockton football program, the first thought was that somehow, someway this Friday's home game against Bear Creek of Stockton, which lost last week 63-6 and hasn't won a game yet this season, would not take place.
Colfax principal Rick Spears, who is president of the Sac-Joaquin Section Board of Managers, announces the immediate suspension of the Franklin High of Stockton football program.
Franklin won a game last year, 82-0, against Chavez of Stockton (which had no seniors at the time) and the thought of the Yellowjackets doing the same or worse against Bear Creek was difficult to imagine.
At the press conference, it was quickly put to rest whether this Friday's game at Franklin would be played. In fact, Franklin's football program was not only suspended for the rest of the current season but head coach Tom Verner's program also has been suspended for both the 2008 and 2009 seasons as well. If no amendments are made, Franklin's next football game won't be until the first one of the 2010 season.
Earlier in the day, the section's Board of Managers, which is comprised of one representative from each of the section's 26 leagues, met behind closed doors in a special session that was called in the aftermath of Franklin knowingly using three players who had been ruled ineligible in a football game last Friday against Tracy. They discussed multiple options and the punishments announced on Tuesday were all approved unanimously.
"I couldn't believe it when I heard they did that," said Rick Spears, principal at Colfax High and president of the section's Board of Managers, about Franklin using the three players. "I was shocked."
Said Sac-Joaquin Section commissioner Pete Saco: "It's an absolutely terrible situation and adults caused this mishap. I hold SUSD (Stockton Unified School District) responsible."
The three players are part of a 10-player group from American Samoa who have participated in the Franklin football program in recent years. All 10 were ruled ineligible earlier this month after a six-month investigation by the section found 54 violations of CIF bylaws about those players being illegally recruited. A judge on October 18 also did not grant a restraining order that would have enabled the initial punishments against Franklin to be put on hold.
In addition to the suspension of the football program until the 2010 season, the Section's board took additional actions:
?The entire winter and spring athletic programs at Franklin are suspended from the 2007-08 CIFSJS playoffs. SUSD may submit a plan that will ensure adherence to all Section and State bylaws by December 15, 2007 to the Section office. The plan will be reviewed by the CIFSJS Executive Committee with SUSD prior to the January 2008 Board of Managers meetings. The CIFSJS Executive Committee will report to the January Board of Managers meeting their recommendations regarding those playoff sanctions for winter and spring sports for 2007-08. Note: The playoff ban, however, does not include non-football teams currently competing at Franklin, such as boys soccer, which will be in the section playoffs.
?The Section will consider the development of a multi-campus agreement for the 2008-09 and 2009-10 school years that will allow prospective football players enrolled at Franklin during the time of the suspension of the football program to be eligible at one of the three other high schools within Stockton Unified School District (which would be either Edison, Stagg or Chavez).
The unanimous decision, Spears said, underscores the fact that the issues facing the board were so clear and convincing.
"There are no gray areas here," he said. "We are dealing with violations and patterns of behavior that are so clearly wrong that to not take an appropriate enforcement action would be a disservice to everyone who plays by the rules. Franklin's violations are egregious in their scope, dismaying in their repetition and offensive in their arrogance."
According to a section press release, the SUSD and the school had been clearly notified several times that the players could not participate in a game. As recently as Oct. 26, the CIF state Executive Director (Marie Ishida) through her attorney faxed a letter to the district denying its request for the players to participate, said Spears.
That letter put the district on notice that knowingly allowing an ineligible player to participate may result in the revocation of the school's membership in good standing with the CIF.
There had been some statements in the media by district officials, namely School Board President Anthony Silva, that the section and the distrct had engaged in negotiations that would have suggested a possibility the ineligible players could participate.
"Last Thursday at 4:30 in the afternoon, Mr. (Joe) Martin (the SUSD director of athletics) came by our office and we met for 30 minutes," Saco said. "We said at that time in no uncertain terms that those players could not play. There was no misconception whatsoever."
Before the game against Tracy, it was reported by the Stockton Record that the SUSD School Board itself had a vote about the ineligible players and only two members voted for the players not to play. The others agreed with the Franklin head coach and Superintendent Jack McLaughlin that the three would play.
The previous penalties against the Franklin football program for the 54 CIF bylaws violations already were among the most harsh ever seen to those have followed high school sports across the nation. They included a playoff ban for five years and games forfeited for this year, last year and the season before that. You'd think that knowingly using ineligible players would be a worse offense and Tuesday's announcement sends that message loud and clear.
"I've never heard of such a thing," said Doug Huff, a national editor of high school sports for more than 40 years and a member of the National High School Hall of Fame. "Usually, these cases don't go into the following years. That's like the SMU death sentence from football a few years ago."
In California, we've mentioned the Salinas High case recently and one from Montclair Prep in Van Nuys as being examples to the Franklin case. There also has been a tiny prep school in the Southern Section, Stoneridge Prep of Tarzana, which at one point was expelled from the CIF. Stoneridge Prep only involved itself in boys basketball players.
Once the Franklin coach, athletic director, school district and the school board of the district itself thought it was okay to send a message to the CIF that the team could thumb its nose at the governing body, this case went to an entirely different level. The punishments given Tuesday would bear that out.
On Wednesday, a court hearing will be held about the initial 54 rules violations and the earlier punishments given by the section. Attorney Scott Donald, representing the section, would not comment about any questions relating to that hearing.
*************
Heading up to Tuesday's CIF Sac-Joaquin Section press conference that would brief reporters on the most recent ? and most serious ? offense yet by the Franklin High of Stockton football program, the first thought was that somehow, someway this Friday's home game against Bear Creek of Stockton, which lost last week 63-6 and hasn't won a game yet this season, would not take place.
Colfax principal Rick Spears, who is president of the Sac-Joaquin Section Board of Managers, announces the immediate suspension of the Franklin High of Stockton football program.
Franklin won a game last year, 82-0, against Chavez of Stockton (which had no seniors at the time) and the thought of the Yellowjackets doing the same or worse against Bear Creek was difficult to imagine.
At the press conference, it was quickly put to rest whether this Friday's game at Franklin would be played. In fact, Franklin's football program was not only suspended for the rest of the current season but head coach Tom Verner's program also has been suspended for both the 2008 and 2009 seasons as well. If no amendments are made, Franklin's next football game won't be until the first one of the 2010 season.
Earlier in the day, the section's Board of Managers, which is comprised of one representative from each of the section's 26 leagues, met behind closed doors in a special session that was called in the aftermath of Franklin knowingly using three players who had been ruled ineligible in a football game last Friday against Tracy. They discussed multiple options and the punishments announced on Tuesday were all approved unanimously.
"I couldn't believe it when I heard they did that," said Rick Spears, principal at Colfax High and president of the section's Board of Managers, about Franklin using the three players. "I was shocked."
Said Sac-Joaquin Section commissioner Pete Saco: "It's an absolutely terrible situation and adults caused this mishap. I hold SUSD (Stockton Unified School District) responsible."
The three players are part of a 10-player group from American Samoa who have participated in the Franklin football program in recent years. All 10 were ruled ineligible earlier this month after a six-month investigation by the section found 54 violations of CIF bylaws about those players being illegally recruited. A judge on October 18 also did not grant a restraining order that would have enabled the initial punishments against Franklin to be put on hold.
In addition to the suspension of the football program until the 2010 season, the Section's board took additional actions:
?The entire winter and spring athletic programs at Franklin are suspended from the 2007-08 CIFSJS playoffs. SUSD may submit a plan that will ensure adherence to all Section and State bylaws by December 15, 2007 to the Section office. The plan will be reviewed by the CIFSJS Executive Committee with SUSD prior to the January 2008 Board of Managers meetings. The CIFSJS Executive Committee will report to the January Board of Managers meeting their recommendations regarding those playoff sanctions for winter and spring sports for 2007-08. Note: The playoff ban, however, does not include non-football teams currently competing at Franklin, such as boys soccer, which will be in the section playoffs.
?The Section will consider the development of a multi-campus agreement for the 2008-09 and 2009-10 school years that will allow prospective football players enrolled at Franklin during the time of the suspension of the football program to be eligible at one of the three other high schools within Stockton Unified School District (which would be either Edison, Stagg or Chavez).
The unanimous decision, Spears said, underscores the fact that the issues facing the board were so clear and convincing.
"There are no gray areas here," he said. "We are dealing with violations and patterns of behavior that are so clearly wrong that to not take an appropriate enforcement action would be a disservice to everyone who plays by the rules. Franklin's violations are egregious in their scope, dismaying in their repetition and offensive in their arrogance."
According to a section press release, the SUSD and the school had been clearly notified several times that the players could not participate in a game. As recently as Oct. 26, the CIF state Executive Director (Marie Ishida) through her attorney faxed a letter to the district denying its request for the players to participate, said Spears.
That letter put the district on notice that knowingly allowing an ineligible player to participate may result in the revocation of the school's membership in good standing with the CIF.
There had been some statements in the media by district officials, namely School Board President Anthony Silva, that the section and the distrct had engaged in negotiations that would have suggested a possibility the ineligible players could participate.
"Last Thursday at 4:30 in the afternoon, Mr. (Joe) Martin (the SUSD director of athletics) came by our office and we met for 30 minutes," Saco said. "We said at that time in no uncertain terms that those players could not play. There was no misconception whatsoever."
Before the game against Tracy, it was reported by the Stockton Record that the SUSD School Board itself had a vote about the ineligible players and only two members voted for the players not to play. The others agreed with the Franklin head coach and Superintendent Jack McLaughlin that the three would play.
The previous penalties against the Franklin football program for the 54 CIF bylaws violations already were among the most harsh ever seen to those have followed high school sports across the nation. They included a playoff ban for five years and games forfeited for this year, last year and the season before that. You'd think that knowingly using ineligible players would be a worse offense and Tuesday's announcement sends that message loud and clear.
"I've never heard of such a thing," said Doug Huff, a national editor of high school sports for more than 40 years and a member of the National High School Hall of Fame. "Usually, these cases don't go into the following years. That's like the SMU death sentence from football a few years ago."
In California, we've mentioned the Salinas High case recently and one from Montclair Prep in Van Nuys as being examples to the Franklin case. There also has been a tiny prep school in the Southern Section, Stoneridge Prep of Tarzana, which at one point was expelled from the CIF. Stoneridge Prep only involved itself in boys basketball players.
Once the Franklin coach, athletic director, school district and the school board of the district itself thought it was okay to send a message to the CIF that the team could thumb its nose at the governing body, this case went to an entirely different level. The punishments given Tuesday would bear that out.
On Wednesday, a court hearing will be held about the initial 54 rules violations and the earlier punishments given by the section. Attorney Scott Donald, representing the section, would not comment about any questions relating to that hearing.
