Bellbrook graduation 2012
Fairfield Senior 2012 graduation
Kroger Aquatic Center opens
the audible commentary
Trotwood was wrong, but rules need fixing
Related:
> Trotwood coach suspended for three weeks
> Assistant coach says he's a fall guy
> Commentary: Trotwood, rules both at fault
Friday, July 18, 2008
I laughed out loud when hearing Trotwood-Madison High School football coach Maurice Douglass, the former NFL player, had been suspended for three games next season by the Ohio High School Athletic Association.
And the school was placed on two years probation. Oooh, what does that mean, they can't go to a bowl game?
That's some punishment after a seven-month investigation turned up recruiting and residency violations in the program. Barely a love tap on the wrist, it seems.
If the OHSAA is serious about cleaning up high school sports, clearly a season-long ban of the head coach would have served as a better deterrent, don't you think?
That said, I'm not actually advocating such a penalty, just saying the OHSAA appears somewhat spineless if the intent was to send a statewide message.
Frankly, I'm not even exactly sure what should constitute recruiting these days. I know the rules, and Trotwood obviously violated them, but maybe they need to be tweaked or liberalized to a degree.
Say a coach at one school bumps into a rival football player in the offseason and broaches the subject of a transfer. Let's say no money changes hands and nobody's relative ends up with a new job or a tractor in the yard.
If there's a problem with that kind of recruiting, I don't see it.
As for these inane residency requirements, I've always thought students, athletes or not, should be able to attend whatever school best suits their needs, no matter where they happen to live.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2408 or smcclelland@DaytonDailyNews.com.
