BA vs. TSSAA Ruling In

[lazarus]

"Funny, I was thinking the same thing about Alcoa, Maryville, Riverdale, Hillsboro, and Shelbyville."

 

and you wont find me disagreeing with you...

 

altho,

at less than 20% the size of those schools

BA (with a better football team than any of them)

would be the most egregious example.

[BDURHAM]

What is "uniforcable"?

 

The spirit of the rule is to not recruit. What was

Carlton Flatt’s state of mind when he sent those

letters and gave the free tickets?

 

Every coach knows what recruiting is, and where the line is.

 

When people violate a rule or law, they attempt to

prove that the rule or law is vague or not enforceable.

This is where the lawyers earned their big bucks.

 

Can anyone at BA see how the TSSAA might have

thought BA violated the rule? If it is indeed vague,

then by definition, there are grounds for misunderstanding.

 

BA is trying to dance around on a pin while claiming they

are on a wide foundation of solid ground. Please!

 

The BA legal tactics have the potential to not only kill

high school sports as we know it in Tennessee, but all

around the nation.

 

Now, that is something to hang your hat on....."no, we

didn't recruit, but our lawsuit makes recruiting possible."

 

Brilliant!

 

 

Let's see. The kids had already signed paperwork to attend the school. They were going to attend the school. Where is the undue influence? Why in world would they call to have that reviewed? Do you call your wife and ask her if it is OK for you to burp?

 

Look, people WAY smarter than you and me have ruled that the "undue influence" rule was vague and basically uninforcable since it would be applied arbitrarily due to its vagueness. Why is this hard to understand?

[tnsddeveloper]

altho,

at less than 20% the size of those schools

BA (with a better football team than any of them)

would be the most egregious example.

It is a wonder all unto itself isn't it.

 

I think a merit system is just about the only way to even out the competition level. I really can't see a better way of doing it. I wish some brilliant mind would come along and come up with a solution ... but just seeing the mental prowess of those in charge right now ... it won't be happening anytime soon.

[tnsddeveloper]

What was Carlton Flatt’s state of mind when he sent those

letters and gave the free tickets?

Let's see if I can take a stab at it:

"I need to send a letter to kid's that have ALREADY SIGNED UP to attend school telling them when football practice starts in the fall!"

[Indian]

Why would "Maybe I should check and make sure it's okay with the TSSAA" have been such an impossible thought?

[std]

Why would "Maybe I should check and make sure it's okay with the TSSAA" have been such an impossible thought?

 

 

Let's see it is ok for a public school to contact a feeded Middle School to inform them of a scheduled fall practice for potential students who will be zoned to attend said high school but it is not ok for a private to inform students who have signed contracts to attend said privates of their schedules. Do any of you think that the these students have not signed a contract and made a financial commitment to the school in the form of a deposit for the up coming school year? How many homes in the Riverdale zone have contracts for potential students moving into the Riverdale zone in the summer prior to their fall attendance?

Edited April 7, 2006 by std

[Indian]

Let's see it is ok for a public school to contact a feeded Middle School to inform them of a scheduled fall practice for potential students who will be zoned to attend said high school but it is not ok for a private to inform students who have signed contracts to attend said privates of their schedules. Do any of you think that the these students have not signed a contract and made a financial commitment to the school in the form of a deposit for the up coming school year? How many homes in the Riverdale zone have contracts for potential students moving into the Riverdale zone in the summer prior to their fall attendance?

 

 

None of that means BA and CF couldn't have easily checked. The unproven things over the years are the reason behind the tickets/practice notification mess, anyone can see that, but if the rule is there it should have been followed, not broken. I'm still waiting on anyone around Nashville to give me more details on the Hathaway-BA basketball contact more than 10 years ago.

[BDURHAM]

Public school coaches debate this topic with Ronnie Carter.

Many high school coaches want their 8th graders at spring

practice, but they cannot attend practice until they are at the

high school for three days in the fall term (I think this

is the rule). Father Ryan was fined for violating this rule

several years ago....I think.

 

The thinking is that the kid might be at a middle school that

splits into two or more high schools. What if the kid attends

the high school practice in the spring, but goes to another

school in the fall. Is he ineligible in the fall if he attended a

spring practice at another school?

 

You guys are asking the TSSAA to be more than it can

be in reality. Coaches have to know the rules and follow

them. The TSSAA doesn’t have a criminal investigation

team. It is supposed to be a honor system. Most violators

report themselves. Remember CPA a few years ago?

 

Flatt was inviting 8th graders to spring practice, right?

 

The only 8th graders who can attend high school spring

practice are students who attend K-12 schools. Small

public schools who compete against these K-12 schools

claim they are at a disadvantage. Even if there is only

one high school in the county, the 8th graders cannot

attend spring practice at the high school. It's a rule!

 

Imagine a private school bringing in new kids to spring

practice. Kid thinks, “Hey, I’ve got Carlton Flatt inviting

me to spring practice! I’ve got to make sure my parents

don’t change their mind about me going to BA.” Parents

think, “Wow! My kid must be special if Carlton Flatt is

inviting him to practice with the high school team. We

need to make sure we send our kid to BA. He might get

a D1 scholarship….play in the NFL.”

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the above situations

are the context of the BA debate.

 

Again I ask the question, what was Carlton Flatt's state of

mind when he invited off campus 8th graders to spring

practice? No one else sends letters to 8th graders inviting

them to spring practice. The letters were used to cement

the deal.

 

To push this issue into the courts is insane. To try an justify

the litigation is beyond comprehension. BA would rather

take down the entire ship than admit they made a mistake.

 

 

Let's see it is ok for a public school to contact a feeded Middle School to inform them of a scheduled fall practice for potential students who will be zoned to attend said high school but it is not ok for a private to inform students who have signed contracts to attend said privates of their schedules. Do any of you think that the these students have not signed a contract and made a financial commitment to the school in the form of a deposit for the up coming school year? How many homes in the Riverdale zone have contracts for potential students moving into the Riverdale zone in the summer prior to their fall attendance?

[BDURHAM]

Laz,

 

Would the opinion of a former Rhodes Scholar,

who played in the NBA for 11 years, was a college

basketball All-American, and served as a U.S.

Congressman for three terms be of interest to you?

 

Tom McMillen, who was recruited by colleges across

the nation and attended the University of Maryland

is against high school recruiting. Sports Illustrated

once claimed that McMillen was the "Best High School

Player in America."

 

He testified on behalf of the TSSAA in the trial against

BA. McMillen stated that athletes shouldn't be given

special attention. He said the college recruiting

experience almost destroyed his family. He said that

recruiting creates a "gladiator class."

 

McMillen said, "I believe what this case is all about

is that Brentwood Academy is trying to promote elite

athletes." He also said, “The athletic tail is wagging

the academic dog all over this country.”

 

Source: TENNESSEAN article, December 20, 2002.

 

Thank you BA for putting all of this in perspective….if

someone says you broke a rule, sue them! What a

great lesson about the value of high school sports!

 

 

"Recruiting cannot be allowed. Get real!"

 

why not?

 

[itzme]

The amount of rhetorical overkill on this thread is stunning.

 

All I can say is that if you don't know (or can't tell) what BA is all about and would like to learn more, go to the next admissions day and talk to the administrators, teachers and coaches. It's open. It's not a secret society. It's not some athletic factory or laboratory. It's a school that strives to be excellent in every aspect.

 

Go and find out for yourself.

[BDURHAM]

What about 8th grade tuba players? Do they get letters

in the spring inviting them to spring band practice?

 

 

The amount of rhetorical overkill on this thread is stunning.

 

All I can say is that if you don't know (or can't tell) what BA is all about and would like to learn more, go to the next admissions day and talk to the administrators, teachers and coaches. It's open. It's not a secret society. It's not some athletic factory or laboratory. It's a school that strives to be excellent in every aspect.

 

Go and find out for yourself.

[Indian]

BA has sent six players to Auburn alone in the last five years. How many public schools with 350 or less have never sent a football player to the SEC? Most, nearly all? I think South Pittsburg, one of the top two public school programs currently in 1A, has had one in the last 25 years, maybe much longer. I don't remember the other area 1A football publics, Lookout Valley, Whitwell or Copper Basin ever having one, but Temple could next year in their third year as a program. Do you really think there is no divide, or reason why anyone with a public school should want a complete split?