AP

School scrutinized after ESPN blowout is ‘scam,’ Ohio finds

Dec 17, 2021, 5:03 PM | Updated: Dec 18, 2021, 7:04 am

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio school whose legitimacy was scrutinized after its supposedly top-tier football team got clobbered in an ESPN-televised game didn’t live up to its billing educationally either: It turned out to be “a scam,” according to an investigation by the Ohio Department of Education.

Republican Gov. Mike DeWine said he is asking the attorney general and other officials to determine whether any laws were broken by what claimed to be the Columbus-area Bishop Sycamore High School. DeWine also said he’ll work with state education officials and lawmakers on enacting changes recommended by the department to avoid a repeat of the situation.

“Ohio families should be able to count on the fact that our schools educate students and don’t exist in name only as a vehicle to play high school sports,” DeWine said in a written statement Friday.

The state found no evidence that Bishop Sycamore enrolled multiple students this year and concluded it didn’t meet minimum standards, including for academic offerings and student safety, according to the ODE investigation launched after the team’s televised 58-0 loss to Florida-based powerhouse IMG Academy in August.

Bishop Sycamore’s report filed with the department for this school year listed only one enrolled student and stated its physical address as a home in a residential neighborhood.

In a call with a department official last month, Bishop Sycamore administrator Andre Peterson characterized his program as a way to get more exposure for football players who were having trouble getting into colleges, according to the ODE report.

Messages seeking comment were left Saturday for Peterson via phone and the school’s email address. In previous comments reported by USA TODAY Sports, Peterson had denied there was any “scam” to the lopsided football game or the school, saying it helped players hoping to compete in college.

It identified itself to ODE as a “non-chartered, non-tax-supported school,” a category that is largely outside of the department’s oversight and that allows for bypassing certain typical systems of operation because of “truly held religious beliefs.” But the department said it couldn’t determine whether Bishop Sycamore had such beliefs.

ODE concluded Bishop Sycamore wasn’t a school but “a way for students to play football against high school teams and potentially increase students’ prospects of playing football at the collegiate level.”

“The cost of this dream for those students wasn’t just the tuition charged to attend the school,” the department said in its report Friday. “The price was the education the students were entitled to receive.”

The department also noted that such schools aren’t under its oversight and don’t require its approval, and that it doesn’t have power under state law to sanction Bishop Sycamore.

ODE’s recommended changes included amending state law to authorize the department to monitor whether the hundreds of schools listing themselves as non-chartered, non-tax-supported schools are meeting the more relaxed minimum standards for that category, and to require corrective action if needed.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

Associated Press

Ex-Packer Guion gets 1 year for domestic violence assault

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Former Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Letroy Guion was sentenced to one year in jail after pleading no contest in a domestic violence assault at his home last fall. Brown County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Walsh also ordered Guion on Tuesday to serve three years’ probation and complete a domestic […]

2 years ago

Joe Jarzynka...

Associated Press

Durant eager for Suns debut vs. Hornets after knee injury

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Kevin Durant has been through quite a bit during his 15-year NBA career — but joining a new team midway through the season is a new one for the 13-time All-Star. The 34-year-old Durant doesn’t seem all that worried. Durant makes his highly anticipated Phoenix Suns debut on Wednesday night against […]

2 years ago

FILE - Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores stands on the sideline during the second half of an N...

Associated Press

Judge: NFL coach can press discrimination claims in court

NEW YORK (AP) — NFL Coach Brian Flores can pursue some of his discrimination claims against the league and its teams in court rather than through arbitration, a judge ruled Wednesday. The written decision by Judge Valerie Caproni in Manhattan was issued months after lawyers for the league tried to get the lawsuit moved to […]

2 years ago

Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Alex Stalock cools off in the first period during an NHL hockey game ...

Associated Press

Kane trade reinforces hard reality of Blackhawks rebuild

CHICAGO (AP) — After days of speculation, the harsh reality of the Chicago Blackhawks’ situation was reinforced by one move in a flurry of transactions ahead of the NHL trade deadline. Showtime is over, at least in Chicago, and a seemingly bright future is, well, way off in the distance. The reverberations of Chicago’s decision […]

2 years ago

FILE -  Yves Jean-Bart, president of the Haitian Football Federation, wearing a protective face mas...

Associated Press

Disgraced ex-Haitian soccer president announces he’s back

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s former soccer federation president whose lifetime ban from sport over sexual abuse allegations was overturned last month announced Wednesday that he is reclaiming his position. Yves Jean-Bart’s defiant announcement could lead to a standoff with FIFA, which already has appointed an emergency management committee to lead the Haitian Football Association […]

2 years ago

FILE - Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers walks off the field after an NFL football game against the ...

Associated Press

Rodgers says decision on future will come ‘soon enough’

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers says he will make a decision on his future “soon enough” as the four-time MVP quarterback ponders whether to play next season and if his future remains with the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers, 39, discussed his future while speaking on an episode of the “Aubrey Marcus Podcast” that […]

2 years ago

School scrutinized after ESPN blowout is ‘scam,’ Ohio finds