Huard: Time for Bellevue coach Butch Goncharoff to step down
Jun 8, 2016, 12:47 PM | Updated: 2:22 pm
Brock Huard: “This is not just a (Butch) Goncharoff and Bellevue football story. It’s bigger than that." (AP)
(AP)
Brock Huard is not part of the Bellevue High school inner circle and, therefore, has been careful and guarded about making any declarations about how the program should move forward.
But after the high school football program received a four-year postseason ban Tuesday, Huard says it’s time for embattled coach Butch Goncharoff to stop fighting.
“It’s time for Butch Goncharoff to step down,” Huard said Tuesday.
Related: Seahawks’ Pete Carroll weighs in on Bellevue football controversy
The KingCo Conference banned Bellevue from postseason play as a punishment for the findings of an investigation that uncovered a series of violations at the powerhouse football program, including that coaches directed athletes to attend the school, that boosters paid for athletes’ tuition, that false addresses were used to gain eligibility and that coaches coordinated tuition payments for athletes.
Goncharoff has denied any allegations of wrongdoing and asked the Bellevue School Board Tuesday to fight on his behalf.
“Look, you may not like me, you may not like the football club – I can live with that,” Goncharoff told the school board Tuesday. “But don’t punish these kids. They did nothing. This is wrong; you know it’s wrong. Fight back. Somebody fight back.”
Huard said he’s seen these types of controversies before and they are not new in the high school, college or professional ranks. And in the end, fighting back ultimately hurts the victims.
“This is not just a Goncharoff and Bellevue football story. It’s bigger than that,” Huard said. “When you are in a leadership position, you have to do the right thing for the kids. And there’s really only one choice if you truly hope that over the next four years your students will get the opportunity to realize their high school dreams.”
Huard said he doesn’t think it shows a sign of weakness for Goncharoff and his staff to step down while reiterating they don’t believe any of the claims. Huard said he’s also heard plenty of parallels to Don James, the winningest coach in the University of Washington football program’s history, who resigned shortly after the Pac-10 Conference placed UW football on a two-year probation and postseason prohibition in 1993.
“The Dowgfather himself took that last stand to walk away from this,” Huard said. “If Butch has the best interest of those kids coming up through their feeder programs – in the best interest of them and their careers – in mind, he’s got to step down.”
