TSSAA gives Haywood baseball 2-year postseason ban, $4,500 fine after coaches ejected

Michael Odom
Jackson Sun

The TSSAA informed Haywood High School on Thursday that the baseball program was getting a two-year postseason ban and a total of $4,500 in fines after coaches Dusty Rhodes and Alex Whitwell were ejected from a game at Spring Fling on May 22.

According to TSSAA rules, Rhodes and Whitwell already had to sit out two games in the 2020 season and each pay a $250 fine. The TSSAA added the two-year restrictive probation, which includes no postseason play, for the baseball program and a $2,000 fine and a total athletic program probation for two years and $2,000 more in fines. 

The letter Haywood received states that "The administration was given ample opportunity to address the unfortunate incident but chose to only enforce what the Bylaws require."

Haywood County Schools Superintendent Joey Hassell's problem with the sanctions deals with the two-year ban.

"We are in total disagreement with 20-plus young men getting punished for the behavior of Coach Rhodes," Hassell said. "We don't condone unsportsmanlike conduct, however we do appreciate staff that stick up for our children. We will continue to work with TSSAA, so I feel like we will be able to work with (executive director) Bernard Childress and his team for a resolution moving forward."

Childress said that the TSSAA can't increase the penalties on the coaches because they are not employees of the organization. The TSSAA can only impose more sanctions on the school.

"That is the school's decision," Childress said. "We don't penalize coaches. If you look at the bylaws, it says that the schools have to do that, not TSSAA. If they wanted to extend it based on what he did, that is why we let them deal with it before we deal with it."

Childress said that he has been in contact with the Haywood administration and expects the school to appeal or put something in writing with disciplinary action.

Rhodes' statement was that he believes the school is working on a resolution and will be talking to the TSSAA.

Rhodes and Whitwell were ejected during the sixth inning of the Tomcats' second game of the Class AA state tournament against Sequatchie County, which Haywood lost 6-4 to be eliminated.

A video of the ejections shows Rhodes kicking dirt on the umpire after he was ejected and Haywood players restraining Rhodes.

Rhodes said that he was never confined to the dugout or warned by the umpire.

The umpires report in the letter sent from TSSAA states that the umpire did restrict Rhodes to the dugout, Rhodes then tripped him and chest-bumped him. The umpire said that Rhodes' arguing lasted over 10 minutes.

This is Rhodes' first season at Haywood, and he took the program to its first state tournament appearance. He took Riverside to the state championship game in four consecutive seasons with a runner-up finish in 2009 and state championships in 2010, '11 and '12.

In his five state tournament appearances, Rhodes has a 15-4 record, and he has a 153-28 coaching record overall.

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Reach Michael Odom at michodom@jacksonsun.com or 731-425-9754. Follow him on Twitter @JSWriterMichael.