As I wrote earlier this week in this forum that “the PIAA has an illness” so many people have weighed in with me and some interesting information has come to light since the article was published.
The PIAA compliance office was contacted for this story and did not return a call.
Let us begin with the fundamentals.
PIAA PHILOSOPHY
It is unconscionable that a school or any of its employees would subvert the high purposes of interscholastic athletics by condoning any violation of the rules. To involve boys or girls in any practice or procedure which “gets around the rules” is unworthy of a person associated with athletics
It is unconscionable that a school or any of its employees would subvert the high purposes of interscholastic athletics by condoning any violation of the rules. To involve boys or girls in any practice or procedure which “gets around the rules” is unworthy of a person associated with athletics
The references that follow are from the PIAA Handbook readily available at PIAA.ORG.
The crux of this case hinges on something that apparently has been overlooked by numerous administrators. This particular PIAA By-Laws reference is why the mid-year transfer rule becomes a moot point (if it is applied).
Page 25 Section IX
Section 5. Eligibility of Students for Championship Contests.
A student who participates as an individual or as a member of a Team in a sport in an athletic program other than that of the student’s school, who is enrolled or otherwise eligible at a school having a Team in that sport, is ineligible to participate in the District or Inter-District Championship Contests in that sport unless the student has been in uniform and available to participate as a member of the student’s school Team in that sport for at least 75% of the Contests occurring within the period of time beginning with that Team’s first Regular Season Contest and ending with its last Regular Season Contest. Where the failure to meet the 75% requirement results, in part, from reasons other than participation on the non-school Team, the Principal may waive such absences, provided that the student
was otherwise in uniform and available to participate in at least 50% of the total number of the Team’s Regular Season Contests.
was otherwise in uniform and available to participate in at least 50% of the total number of the Team’s Regular Season Contests.
With regard to Practices for the period of time beginning with the Team’s first Contest and ending with its last Contest of the Regular Season, the Principal of each school must determine whether Practice in the athletic program other than that of the student’s school meets the Practice requirements of that school. If it does not, the student is ineligible to participate in the District or Inter-District Championship Contests in that sport.
Based upon this rule, even a reasonable person can come to the conclusion that the student-athlete in question must be ruled ineligible to compete.
If you are new to this story a quick review is as follows, Neumann-Goretti had a recent transfer student from Hampton, Virginia play in the PIAA second round girls basketball game against Loyalsock after making her debut in the first round against Pine Grove.
The circumstances surrounding her transfer relate to a family matter that no one is willing to discuss. Let me be the first to ask the question, why is the student athlete in question reportedly going back to Virginia this summer to play on an Elite AAU team? The PIAA Bylaws also address prior summer behavior and participation which also bolsters the ineligibility argument.
Let me also be the first to ask, why on the PIAA transfer form does it first reference that academics must be the motivating factor and not athletics and ability to play?
Does it matter that the student athlete in question averaged 30 points per game last year as a freshman and nearly 25 points per game this year in Virginia and is averaging double figures through three PIAA playoff games?
Remember, the student athlete in question transferred to better the educational opportunities as a Philadelphia native not to a public school but to a private school. The acceptance letter to said private school was reportedly received within the past few weeks.
On that note, I received a letter from a Neumann-Goretti girls basketball parent after the first article and the letter eloquently hammered home one of the many points in my argument about a broken PIAA system.
From the original article, “However, how many of those players actually reside within the normal geographic boundaries for a school district?”
From the parent letter, “You may not be aware, but Neumann-Goretti is a private, Catholic school and as such, your comment regarding “normal geographic boundaries for a school district” is not applicable. Geographic boundaries apply to public schools, not private Catholic schools.”
From the written words of a parent from a private school to every single public school parent in not only Pennsylvania, but Virginia, New Jersey, Delaware, New York and the rest of the world this parent basically says no one can stop us and we don’t care what you think. This is the chilling impact referenced in the first article.
The letter also concluded with a final paragraph that began, “In conclusion, Neumann-Goretti will never apologize for kicking Loyalsock’s butt all over the court.”
Way to win with class private school parent.
In regard to the PIAA and the stunning lack of leadership it continues to display, from a Reading Eagle article on October 8, 2015, “PIAA votes to expand football to six classes, “Instead, the board waved a third reading and approved expansion in those sports by a 23-7 margin.”
In 2015, the PIAA waived a third reading to get to six classes from four. As you will read below, what the leadership reportedly did in 2017 with the single biggest competitive balance issue facing this state; they are waiting a full year for it to be codified and that decision has now come back to haunt them. Instead of codifying a significant piece of competitive balance legislation, they deferred. Did I mention the hardship loophole that will undoubtedly follow this worthless attempt at doing something?
In speaking with any number of public school administrators throughout Pennsylvania over the past eleven years and in recent days, this single situation will be cited as the mechanism for ALL of the public schools to leave the PIAA and form a new association.
How did the student athlete in question get cleared to play?
Bob Greenburg, Sports Director of WPIC-AM 790 in Sharon, Pennsylvania and long time broadcaster of District 10 Athletics reached out to District 12 leadership and received the following e-mail from Joe Sette, of Archbishop Wood this past Friday:
Bob,
In the case that you are referring to, both Principals (Hampton Phoebus and Neumann-Goretti) signed off on Section 4A on her transfer waiver form. The District XII Committee intervened and requested a hearing to investigate the matter and to determine the student’s eligibility. The student enrolled at Neumann Goretti on or about 2/12/18 and the District XII hearing was scheduled for 3/5/18. Henceforth, she was not eligible to participate in both the Phila. Catholic League Playoffs and the District XII Tournament.
In the hearing we listened to the reasons for leaving the school in Virginia and re-enrolling in a school in Philadelphia. We found out that the student was a native Philadelphian and left for Virginia when she was eleven years old. She returned to Philadelphia due to a private family matter which I cannot divulge to you. After listening to all of the witnesses involved and the collaborating evidence the District XII Committee went into deliberations.
We discussed in much detail the pros and cons of the case and as always consulted the P.I.A.A constitution in detail as to where we would stand legally with our final decision. Our decision was that we could not legally refuse her eligibility under the current constitution and therefore declared her eligible as of 3/5/18. We knew that this would cause an uproar in our District and beyond but we felt that this was the correct legal decision.
To address situations like this the PIAA Board of Directors are now in the process of amending the P.I.A.A. constitution “to address in-season transfers.” The amendment is on schedule to go into effect starting on July 1, 2018 once we approve the final readings. Basically it will address “the in-season transfers,” by requiring any student athlete not eligible to participate in any competition for that sport that he/she is currently playing, for 21 calendar days or until the District Committee can convene a hearing on that student. In addition, if “that student has been eligible to participate in 50 % of the sport’s season or the season has ended for that sport, he/she will not be eligible for participation in that specific sport for the remainder of the P.I.A.A. season.”
Hopefully this new rule will curtail “in-season transfers.”
Did the Disctric XII Committee completely miss the section referenced above in the existing PIAA Handbook and deferred to a proposed piece of legislation?
The student athlete in question played in a game in Virginia in early February and less than 30 days later is on a post season roster playing for a team in another state. Which according to the PIAA By-Laws by their own definition makes the student athlete in question ineligible to compete.
The membership of the PIAA has a legitimate concern in this case as it relates to competitive balance because to this fan of high school sports it looks like the rules only apply to public schools and nobody else.
There are two rounds left in the Basketball Championships and for all the world it looks like the AAA Girls Title will have an (*) next to it for years to come.
PIAA leadership you still have time to correct this egregious error, however with your past behavior everyone already expects you will sit by silently and will do absolutely nothing.
The bad news for the PIAA is they get to watch their membership exit to the new organization fondly referred to as the PAHSAA, Pennsylvania High School Athletic Association. In the new PAHSAA, the member schools will be voting on legislative matters and not a Board of Control which obviously lacks the judgement and discernment to protect the best interests of the student athletes of Pennsylvania.
The good news for the PIAA is they get to keep the logo for the newly named Pennsylvania Independent Athletic Association.
PIAA the ball is in your court, again, try not to commit another foul.
