Latest Updates. A judge has sentenced 10 current and former high school athletes to prison terms of up to 25 years for their roles in numerous armed robberies in the Dallas area over the past year. We only care where they live., They are not our students, he said. Bellevue High's football squad completed an undefeated season by winning the 3A state championship with a 17-13 triumph over Kennewick High on Dec. 4 at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup. Comments (-1) BPS Summer STEM Camps. Report: Bellevue football coaches violated rules for years Copyright 2023, The Spokesman-Review | Community Guidelines | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Copyright Policy, A Grip on Sports: The action, good and bad, hits a little closer to home today, ESPN analysts expect 'rocking' Kennel for GameDay show, 'heavyweight fight' in Gonzaga-Saint Mary's nightcap , 'Growing up I can say I fell victim to being a Gonzaga fan.' On Thursday, the Bellevue High School self-imposed sanctions on its football program and head coach for violations of WIAA rules. Later, when the family lived in SeaTac, he said, his mother would drop him off at a bus stop in Renton to commute. These efforts were and are fully within the rules., The boosters vowed to continue to fight. Boosters have been barred from affiliating with the program. The KingCo Conference came down hard on Bellevue High School football Tuesday, banning the embattled program from postseason play for four years, prohibiting outside donations for four. Final score: 20-14, bringing the JV to 1-1. Nobody is talking about the kids who lived in-district whose spots were taking by athletic carpetbaggers., Sothe investigation found that, among other things, Bellevue boosters paid tuitionfor some players to attend an alternative school (just like many kids do) in order to receive instruction, compatible with their learning styles,that they needed to improve their academic standing. In its findings released a few hours earlier, the KingCo committee: Found a preponderance of evidence that Bellevue illegally recruited athletes to the school and coordinated payments for athletes, and that Bellevue failed to self-report money provided to players families. The final score is simply listed as Brady 1 Stamford 0 in the states record books. More of the money went to pay for school; the kind with no real academics. Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. You cheat, you steal, you lie. Bellevue Superintendent Tim Mills says the district will appeal. (Image courtesy Bellevue Wolverines Facebook) Bellevue can appeal the sanctions to KingCo principals within five school days, then can appeal to the executive board of the SeaKing District and ultimately to the executive board of the WIAA. However, the victory only lasted five months when the school became the first in the state to have their title taken from them. He can also be found on twitter @tonybruin, Unrecognizable U.S. Mens National Team Defeats Costa Rica, NBA Finals: Cleveland Cavaliers win Game 3 Convincingly over Golden State Warriors. From changing grades and playing ineligible players to substance abuse and violence, these five scandals marred the face of the king of all sports in Texas. I think the idea behind high school sports is pretty genuine if you get together and you play sports with the kids you grew up with.. The movie portrayed the girls as ruthless in their quest to run the school. The silver lining from one of the biggest scandals in Texas high school football history is the number of players who went on to continue their football careers in college. On BHSs ensuing possession, junior QB Lucas Razore found Ishaan Daniels in the flat, and Daniels scampered 30 yards for the Bellevue score. Weve seen a couple of surveys about Seattles happiness rating, one shows us near the top for happiness, and one has us closer to the bottom. Freemans parents, Yusef and Allona, wrote in a letter this week to the school district that their son lived in the Bellevue attendance area. If youre a Pac-12 talent, you are going to jump off the page at recruiters, he said. Texas HS Football State Champions: 1920-2022, 2022 3A Fan Vote All-Texas High School Football Team, TXHSFB Podcast Championship Edition: Benjamin Mustangs, 2022 2A Fan Vote All-Texas High School Football Team, Texas HS Football Fan Vote Player Of The Year. Michael Kneip coaches his alma mater and is bent on restoring its football greatness. The Times uncovered 17 instances. The sanctions are the latest chapter in the saga of investigations, appeals and denials concerning one of the most successful prep-football programs in state history. Mind you, this is not the kind of booster club that has bake sales to pay for road trips. No, its not something we want to teach our kids as the right thing to do, he said. BELLEVUE, Wash. -- While the Bellevue High football scandal gets sorted out, a forgotten casualty are the players who will experience the looming sanctions and coaching shake-up firsthand.Players . How did the adults never ask how it was that their kid was taking classes in a $1,750 per month school, yet they never got a tuition bill? NEWSLINE 425-453-4270. Published: Oct. 14, 2022 at 6:55 PM PDT. "The report then went to a panel of KingCo Conference athletic directors. Bellevue High School (WA) Varsity Football - MaxPreps.com The train wreck at Bellevue may be symbolic of much that is wrong with high school and college athletics and the creation of the entitled teenager and the grotesque flow of money into amateur sports. Last year, after a Seattle Times story detailed how numerous Bellevue players had taken classes at The Academic Institute, a private alternative school that former teachers described as a diploma mill, the school district called for an independent investigation. Courtesy of Stephanie Ault Justus. And then there is the claim within the report that some of the misdeeds were not so secretive; they were just direct cash payments to families to get players to Bellevue. KNKX Public Radio | In an article about how Bellevues success was aided by a small private school, Freeman, 20, told the Times that he lived in four different cities during his years with the Bellevue football team Sammamish, Bellevue, Auburn and SeaTac. The KingCo Conference has levied sanctions against the school that include four years of probation for the entire athletic department,no road games or out-of-conference games for two years, no money funneled into the program from any source for four years, no postseason play for four years and no out-of-state opponents (a big source of revenue) for four years. The conferences action sets a precedent that should raise a red flag to everyone, the statement said. The Bellevue athletic department is on probation for four years. Jones began coaching at . Flashback: Carter High Stripped of 1988 State Title After Win Butch Goncharoff is banned from coaching in Washington State 3. 2023 Bonneville International. Get the days top sports headlines and breaking news delivered to your inbox by subscribing here. 710 ESPN Seattles Danny ONeil thinks the parents are misguided. Therevelation is not a product of bias or envy. They say proposed project will negatively impact Minidoka internment camp site. Bellevues head coach and athletic director be fired immediately, 2. Tony has been with Last Word on Sports for six years covering college football around the country. 56-0 win over Juanita! It feels quaint to sit back and watch an old rerun of Friday Night Lights and see some rally girl doing Tim Riggins homework, or a star player finding a mysterious envelope with cash in it. Bellevue (Wash.) School District officials are planning to fire the head coach of the Bellevue High School football team, according to a letter sent to the coach by a top district official and . It hid and manipulated scientific and medical research and evidence to hide the price their players were paying on the field due to head injuries. On the first play from scrimmage, freshman Max Jones took a handoff 65 yards to the house, and the JV squad never looked back. This type of illegal and unethical activity runs through sports programs at all levels. One son married a runner-up from The Bachelor TV show and became an assistant football coach at Bellevue. Yesterday Kendall Alston, age 31, was sentenced in federal court to five years for selling fentanyl pills in downtown Seattle. The Bellevue football story became national news in 2016 as false accusations of recruiting by the twelve-time state champions and 2012 national champions took center stage. John Connors told supporters over the weekend that litigation may be necessary to protect the program, Seattle Times story detailed how numerous Bellevue players had taken classes at The Academic Institute, a private alternative school. Later, a traffic citation was issued to a Yusef Freeman with an address in SeaTac. We hear stories about competing schools. This begins the discussion of the penalty phase of the violations, and there are several steps working through that process, said Mike Colbrese, WIAA executive director. Bellevue football players worked hard thats how they won. Carter High . Im already excited for next week. JV plays at Lake Washington on Monday 9/26. %link% I am old enough to remember corruption being the norm in the old Southwest Conference: fake jobs, hundred dollar handshakes and far, far worse. But KingCo officials saw Bellevues problems as requiring more severe sanctions. They scammed the system and stole the opportunities of hometown players, stoleplayers from schools that could have used the talent to grow their ownteams, and stole titles from teams that they played. Mostly because they were too busy taking advantage of the whole in the system for their own benefit. The second half saw more of the same stingy Wolverine defense, and scores being added by another long Daniels run, and a 30-yard TD connection from Razore to junior TE, Hogan Hansen. Arguably one of the best high school teams ever fielded in Texas, the 1988 Dallas Carter Cowboys were loaded with talent on both sides of the ball. Playoffs: No postseason games for four years, Boosters: No donations to program for four years, Games: Only KingCo 3A opponents for two years; no out-of-state opponents for four years, Transfers: Stricter guidelines, oversight for incoming transfer students for two years, Championships: Vacate Bellevues conference titles if WIAA determines that state titles should be forfeited. The Wolverines got off to their usual fast start, with a whopping three rushing touchdowns from Ishaan Daniels, another from Carson Rubin, and a passing TD from Lucas Razore to Hogan Hansen. Armstead is also in the New York Giants Ring of Honor. Washington state wants to be a leader in climate change, but I sense that the voters are not as concerned about that these days. In the second half, Bellevue let their young guns get a taste of the MI rivalry under the big lights, and played out the remainder of the game under a running clock. Freeman described in detail the hours he spent busing from Auburn to Bellevue, catching a 5:30 a.m. bus to start class around 8:15. Jones has filed an unfair-labor-practices complaint with the Public Employment Relations Commission. Bellevue High School Football Head coach Butch Goncharoff has been fired. He is a member of the Football Writers Association of America, and is a voting panelist for the Outland Trophy, the Nagurski Award, and the Biletnikoff Award. And that lofty tuition bill? PF 497 PA 185 STREAK 1L. Following the varsitys team lead from Friday night, the Wolverine JV got things going quickly with several big runs by sophomore Matt Reed, and the race was on. Im so happy and proud of all of them. ', "The Bellevue School District said only one charge was valid and that was the compensation to Goncharoff, and so they recommended his firing. Sophomore Ryken Moon took the opening kickoff back for a TD, junior Colin Miller had an interception, junior Luke Soma added a field goal, and junior Cal Zimmerman had his own pick-6. 1 Bellevue back into 3A state semifinals: 4 observations His older brother became vice president of the teams booster club. 5 Marysville-Pilchuck on Saturday in the early game of the Class 3A semifinal doubleheader at Memorial Stadium. It's false. Breed initially denied any involvement, but in December of 2015 pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily injury, was placed on probation and gave up teaching. The Bellevue football program was placed on a three-year probation last year for two self-reported violations, which allowed KingCo to hand down more severe sanctions. But, we would be lying if we said that there wasnt at least a benefit to these kids.. An investigation released Tuesday revealed significant and long-standing violations by the Bellevue High School football program. A video of two football players from John Jay High School in San Antonio went viral in September of 2015 after they blindsided a referee near the end of a game versus Marble Falls. Yes, the Catholic schools do recruit, but they are not funded through public money. Usain Bolt defeats Justin Gatlin, defends 100-meter title. Yusef Freeman did not return a call Friday seeking comment on his letter. Rantz says he doesnt blame the parents whatsoever. Bellevue High football: Team reportedly aided by diploma mill - Sports Former Bellevue Football assistant head coach publishes his side of the Maybe there is some truth to some stories, and maybe it is just random speculation, but it is out there, usually in the private school arena. The Bellevue grads on staff are Jake Hiller (2010, offensive line coach), Morgann Richey (2014, offensive line), Ryan Gilbert (2015, defensive backs), Jack Michael (2015, defensive backs), Matt Gilbert (2012, defensive coordinator), AJ Kneip (2016, offensive line/strength coach), Miles Carlson (2016, defensive back), Quinn Sullivan (2018, linebackers), Joe Razore (1997, offensive coordinator), Cam Johnson (1999, wide receivers), Peter Nguyen (2009, wide receivers) and Jojo Connor (2010, quarterbacks). The KingCo Conference is a 16-team conference [and] their athletic directors decided some fairly draconian punishments. Department of Commerce officials say communities will need diverse housing options in the future as well. In both games, seniors Ishaan Daniels and George Kruger were standouts. Records reviewed by the Seattle Times, however, show that Freemans father has had a home address in Auburn. Team supporters have battled the Bellevue School Districts decisions. All Rights Reserved. Bellevue High School in Bellevue, Washington is one of the most successful high school football programs in the country, with 11 state titles in 15 years, a 67-game winning streak covering some of that period and a national footprint that has had them playing on ESPN . Voted as the KING 5 Sports Big Game of the Week, the 4-2 Wolverines once again headed north on 405 for a KingCo 3A showdown, this time with the 4-1 Lake Washington Kangs. Junior Carson Rubin was the first to take the spotlight two long runs and two TDs got BHS on the board in Q1. HOME 5-1 AWAY 4-1 NEUTRAL 0-1. Due to state-wide ref shortages, the Wolverines trip to the jungle at Mercer Island High School was moved from Friday night to Thursday. The Bellevue High School football cheating scandal is American Greed at it worst! It should not be about winning at all costs to include cheating by parents. Set the playing field equal, limit the activity of booster clubs to support supplies and travel costs. When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. "The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA), which is the administrative body that governs prep sports hired two investigators who produced a 68-page report that confirmed much of what the Times discovered as well as other things. The Academic Institute existed in a strip mall not far from Bellevue High. Jayson Jenks: 206-464-8277 or, cited in its report a preponderance of evidence that violations had occurred, 68-page independent report that found wide-ranging rules violations within the program, Bellevue football banned from postseason for 4 years, WIAA lifts Bellevue postseason ban, strips two state titles, Cedar Park Christian hires ex-Bellevue coach Butch Goncharoff, Two-year ban for Goncharoff ruled violation of union rights, After upheaval, sanctions, Bellevue ready to get back to playing football again, Report: Bellevue coaches violated rules for years, district obstructed probe, was placed on a three-year probation last year, district had proposed a suspension of the teams booster club along with meetings. School district leaders initially sought to have the booster club answer questions about its relationship with Academic Institute. The Wolverines will look to build on their learning from week 1 and 2 as they start KingCo 3A conference play against Liberty High School this Friday. Saint Mary's guard Logan Johnson knows both sides of the Zags-Gaels rivalry , "It should be an awesome environment": Gonzaga's WCC title hopes depend on outcome vs. Gaels , Gonzaga rewind: Ben Gregg continues to thrive in expanded role, helps Gonzaga thump San Diego , Daily marijuana use raises risk of heart disease by 34%, study indicates, 'Growing up I can say I fell victim to being a Gonzaga fan.' By: Logan Newman, https://usatodayhss.com/2016/bellevue-wash-expected-to-fire-coach-butch-goncharoff-cheating-scandal, Bellevue (Wash.) expected to fire coach at center of alleged football cheating scandal. The win marks a return to the top for a former state juggernaut that won eight state championships from 2001 to 2011. With the pregame pageantry and TV interviews done, the Wolverines got to work making the Big Game a big blowout. Photos: William Wang powers No. For a paltry $1,750 tuition per month, these student athletes supposedly got academic help. Mercer Island Football Booster Club President, 1988-89. This isnt a player finding $100 cash in his locker. Under ominous clouds and heavy winds, the Wolverines took the field in their electric yellow uniforms, to face the visiting Snohomish Panthers in a Week 10 crossover game. GSBA, Comcast, and other partners are working to address disparities in access to financial resources with the Ready for Business fund. Bellevue High School has the most successful football program in state history winning 11 titles in the last 15 years. Bellevue High School Football That would be a likely violation of rules that generally require student-athletes to live within a schools attendance boundary. Bellevue High School offered a Physical Education program (football) not offered by this sham institution. There are plenty of opinions during the aftermath of an investigation that found the Bellevue High School football team engaged in potentially illegal recruiting tactics, but one common thread is a lack of shock. June 29, 2022 Posted in&nbspkawasaki monster energy jersey. These findings only corroborate what is probably the worst kept secret in the history of high school sports. The Bellevue High (Seattle) football team is reportedly aided through a "diploma mill" private school, according to an investigation by The Seattle Times . The Academic Institute was briefly involved in a athletic district investigation after the family complaint, but no one from the school spoke to investigators. Good kids and families participated in Bellevuefootball, but there were also some people who stepped over the line. Bellevue High's football squad completed an undefeated season by winning the 3A state championship with a 17-13 triumph over Kennewick High on Dec. 4 at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup. Brazen Family-Central Bar + Restaurant,520 Bar and Grill, The Brazens - Windermere. McKinney North Principal Linda Thret was the mom of one of the Fab Five and eventually resigned due to mounting pressure over her lack of discipline with the group. Sat Nov 26 L . "This is the most successful athletic program in state history and it's being torn down. A native of Southern California, now living in North Carolina, he has been working in broadcast, print and digital media for nearly 30 years. Our guys played pretty well, its just about getting better., Then, on Monday, the LW JV made the opposite trip, visiting BHS. Bellevue High School Football; Bellevue Football. According to the findings, 17 players were funneled to a for-profit private school for extra classes and academic help. During that conversation on Sunday, Freeman reaffirmed the other aspects of his account. New coaching staff of young alumni lead Bellevue back to state football championship glory, Back on top: Bellevue beats Kennewick to win 3A state title behind William Wangs 243 yards, Bellevue runs over Marysville-Pilchuck to return to state football championship game, William Wangs career night lifts No. However, the school often had no teachers in the classrooms; little, if any homework was ever given, and the players received full class credit. Players attend the school for academics but are allowed to play football at Bellevue if they live in the proper district. This fake news reporting in the media hammered down on the program until the program was literally ripped apart at the seams. This has been, I dont want to say an open secret, but Im not surprised by the investigation, ONeil told Seattles Morning News. You do what you can to give your kid a leg up because you want him or her on a path that maybe you werent on.. If our society didnt place such a level of importance on winning at all costs, this type of thing wouldnt happen. Brick by brick!. Bellevue High is an extremely successful football program. Bellevue Wolverines | Bellevue WA - Facebook The deluge culminated in a 34-0 halftime lead for BHS. Now lets see a similar investigation into sports programs at every private high school in the state to determine just how many of their players parents are paying full tuition.