Ohio governor launches investigation into a presumed high school that played in a nationally televised TV game.
Last weekend, ESPN broadcast a high school game between powerhouse IMG Academy of Florida and Ohio-based Bishop Sycamore High. IMG won easily, 58-0, but something other than the score made national news.
Is Bishop Sycamore a legit school? The Ohio Department of Education does not list it as a charter school–the school’s claim. And Sycamore played another game about 48 hours before the meeting with IMG.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine: While this weekend’s football game brought concerns about the health and safety of players, it also raised red flags about the school’s operations. Schools like Bishop Sycamore have an obligation under Ohio law to meet certain minimum standards. Whether Bishop Sycamore meets these standards is not clear. I have asked the Ohio Department of Education to conduct an investigation into Bishop Sycamore to ensure compliance with Ohio law and to ensure the school is providing the educational opportunities Ohio students deserve.
And the situation got even dicier. According to court documents, Bishop Sycamore head coach Leroy (Roy) Johnson has an active warrant in Delaware, Ohio, and also faces multiple civil lawsuits. Now, Johnson, along with former Ohio State Buckeye Jay Richardson, will face trial for defaulting on a $100,000 loan issued in April 2018. Johnson has since been relieved of his coaching duties.
The ordeal has left many puzzled, including how Bishop Sycamore was able to dupe ESPN. The school did so by claiming that it has a number of D-1 level prospects on its roster. It does not. It’s noot a national-level program either, going 0-6 and being outscored 57-8 (per-game average) in 2020.
ESPN has blamed the debacle on its marketing company, Paragon, but observers aren’t buying that bob-and-weave maneuver. At least the on-air announcers raised questions and concerns (watch the live feed video below).
But Coach Roy Johnson doesn’t have regrets. “No one had ever heard of us before we got this game.”
ESPN has since apologized for the blunder, realizing the matchup was an error in judgment.
