Beefaithful, you know I respect you. So I won’t preach to you.
It is horrible that adults created a situation that has cost this young man his season. Certainly he shoulders a small bit of the responsibility, but truthfully, it was adults that put him in this position.
Anyone remotely associated with high school athletics knows that the Executive Committee of the VHSL, and then the entire membership of the VHSL, adopted a clear and concise residency rule that went into effect July 1, 2025. Certainly, the Coaches, AD, and Principal at Brookville knew about this rule. And the League warned the member schools that fair enforcement was imminent.
Be reminded, the VHSL does not go out to try to find rules violators. They can only become involved when clear, verifiable evidence is brought to them through a clearly defined pathway.
What does that mean? It means that they cannot act on any information unless it reaches them through the designated channels, no matter how valid it may be.
With rare exceptions, evidence of a residency violation starts with a complaint from another school to the accused schools District Administration. From that point, if found valid, it proceeds up a pathway that ultimately reaches the VHSL office. After the offending school has an opportunity to defend itself against an alleged violation, a ruling is made and the case is dropped, of punishment is handed out. Additionally, there is an appeals process that becomes available after the initial ruling.
Again, the adults let this young man down. Not only have they created this terrible situation for this student, but it potentially has punished his teammates as well as the rest of the student body.
Could this have simply been a mistake? That’s hard the believe. I think “they” thought that “others are doing it and getting away with it, so let’s take a chance.” Does the fact that others have somehow managed to hide their deceit offer any excuse for knowingly violating the rules, provide an excuse to cheat? Not in my book. Exactly the opposite. The high road is, no matter what, we set the right example for the young people we lead by demonstrating that honesty and integrity is not just the best path, but it is the ONLY path.