TSSAA: No member school can play Knoxville Christian

MURFREESBORO — No TSSAA-member school will be permitted to play Knoxville Christian in any sport beginning this school year.

The TSSAA's Board of Control passed the measure unanimously after TSSAA staff told the board that the school admitted to recruiting athletes.

Knoxville Christian is a non-TSSAA school and does not have to adhere to the high school association's rules.

"One of our staff members had been working with them for the last couple of years," TSSAA executive director Bernard Childress said. "We identified student athletes that some of our member schools had said that they were recruited to the school.

"In calling the school, there was no denial that those kids were recruited from member schools. For two years we've asked them to work with us. We hadn't gotten any cooperation. We felt no other option but to do what we did."

The athletic school year began Monday. Childress said member schools will get a letter from the TSSAA regarding the rule passed.

In a letter to the TSSAA, Knoxville Christian Principal Jarra Snyder said "any mistakes made by our coaches were a result of youth (either age or understanding) rather than an intent to do wrong."

Snyder wrote the school was creating a manual for sports that involves "proper procedures for running a program and not just coaching a team."

Reach Tom Kreager at tkreager@tennessean.com or 615-259-8089 and on Twitter @Kreager.