The thefts not only tarnish the reputations of the players, Estrop said, but also the entire Springfield community.
“A lot of students who had no involvement in this are going to get painted with the same brush, unfortunately … and that’s a great disservice,” he said.
The six students accused of taking the gear will face 10-day suspensions and be placed at Keifer Academy for the remainder of the school year, Estrop said. They are prohibited from participating in Springfield High activities, such as prom. They also are ineligible for spring sports.
Any seniors involved in the thefts who are eligible to graduate will be allowed to participate in convocation.
The district didn’t release the names of the students, citing federal student privacy laws.
“(We’re) disappointed, embarrassed, upset, but most of all greatly saddened,” Estrop said.
Several team members didn’t participate in the alleged thefts, Estrop said, but they were aware of it and didn’t report it. That’s a violation of the student code of conduct, he said, and those students will face a three-day school suspension after Spring Break and be required to complete a community service project.
Two members of the team were unaware of the incidents and will face no consequences, Estrop said.
Suspended players will be allowed to return to Springfield High and play basketball again next year if they follow the rules of their punishment, the superintendent said.
Some of the gear has been collected and will be returned to Xavier. Stolen items that aren’t found will be paid for by gate receipts taken by Springfield at the Cintas Center games. As a result, Xavier has indicated the university won’t press criminal charges, Estrop said.
The basketball team made it further in the state playoffs than it had in a more than a decade, reaching the Division I regional championship. It lost that game on March 21 to eventual state champion Wayne High School.
The Wildcats had reignited Springfield’s passion for basketball and a large student cheering section made the trip to Xavier’s Cintas Center for the Wayne game.
The players allegedly caught with the stolen gear showed remorse for their actions, Estrop said, and he hopes all students learn a lesson from their punishment.
“We are so sad about this and I think so are the kids,” he said.
Some residents like 24-year-old Ethan Ernst, a former high school and community college athlete, said the players should be held accountable on criminal charges. Society tends to “coddle” high school students who do wrong, he said.
“If they were doing normal adolescent stuff, it’d be one thing,” Ernst said. “But if they’re stealing things, that’s not right.”
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