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Sports

Armwood High, School Board To Respond to FHSAA Football Probe

Armwood High's 2011 state football title is on the line as Hillsborough County Superintendent of Schools MaryEllen Elia promises a stiff countywide look at procedural issues in light of an FHSAA report concerning player eligibility and falsified addresses

 

Armwood High could see itself torn from the summit of high school football after a preliminary investigative report from the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA). The report concerned player eligibility issues, and the concern that five players on last year's state championship team had falsified addresses.

Head coach Sean Callahan, Armwood principal Michael Ippolito, School Board Superintendant Mary Ellen Elia and Hillsborough County Director of Athletics Lannes Robinson were on hand for a news conference May 14 at the Hillsborough County School Board headquarters in downtown Tampa to address their reaction to the initial findings.

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School officials have 10 days to respond to the FHSAA's report. Possible punishments could include striking from the record books.

Elia acknowledged the seriousness of the matter and admitted that the report has revealed specific procedural areas that the school board has to review. She insisted that the falsification of addresses is not just a problem specific to Armwood, but countywide.

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"We've got parents that aren't telling us the truth," Elia said. "We have to be increasingly vigilant with checking the addresses that parents provide when moving, especially if the student is an athlete. We're appealing to parents to provide complete and accurate information and to strictly follow eligibility rules."

The five athletes identified in the report are wide receiver Javonte Sneed, linebackers Keionne Baines and Craig Carrington, running back Gregory Newton and Jack Lightsey, the offensive lineman after he moved from Orlando last year.

A common thread in all five instances is a violation of FHSAA bylaw 9.1.2.2, which concerns the falsification of information. In one case, it is believed that the family of an athlete presented a false electric bill to the school in order to make him eligible to attend Armwood, officials said.

"There are parents who think they are doing the best thing for their kids in trying to get them into these schools," Elia said. "We need to not allow parents to make decisions that can negatively effect entire teams or our schools. We've got to develop some policies that will help flush out some of these problems."

In the case of Carrington and Baines, the preliminary report also states that the two received "impermissible benefits through living arrangement," although what the specific benefit was not immediately made clear.

A reserved Callahan said very little during Monday's press conference, but he did acknowledge that his team has had discussions about the possibility of losing its title.

"We've discussed the possibility of that happening several times," Callahan said.

The five students in question will be investigated by Robinson and Ippolito as they devise a response to the FHSAA allegations. What will happen to the players and team from a disciplinary standpoint will be determined after that investigation is concluded.

As far as disciplinary action against Ippolito or Callahan from the school board, Elia was quick to shoot down any speculation.

"I wouldn't be standing here with these two men if I was going to fire them," Elia said. "We're going to investigate everything, but let's be honest, a lot of this comes down to parents not telling the truth about where these kids live. What we have to remember is we have 10 days to respond, this is not a done deal.”

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