Bellevue High School football banned from post season play

Bellevue High School will not play in post-season football games for the next four years if a KingCo Conference ruling is upheld.

The ruling came after evidence that the program committed several violations, including creating false addresses for athletes to gain eligibility, having boosters pay athletes' tuition and coaches coordinating payments for athletes.

The full text of the KingCo Bellevue report is included below.

Earlier this year, an independent fact-finding report presented to the Bellevue School District found that Bellevue High School’s football program violated state rules, falsifying addresses for athletes so they could play for their powerhouse program.

The lengthy report was released to KIRO 7 through a public disclosure request filed with the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association. Follow this link to read the Bellevue report.

Coaches also directed athletes to attend the Academic Institute, a small program at a Bellevue office park where boosters paid for athletes’ tuition, the report said. It also states Bellevue coaches coordinated tuition payments for athletes.

The fact-finding report examined five specific allegations as requested by the Bellevue School District in August 2015.

The recent fact-finding concluded that there was not sufficient information to support the fifth allegation that athletes received subsidized housing to gain eligibility.

The report also details additional areas of concern that arose during the course of the fact-finding, according to the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association.

Some Bellevue parents objected to the report, saying it was biased and racially motivated. The Bellevue football booster club maintains it did not violate WIAA regulations and has discussed legal action.

Mike Colbrese, WIAA executive director, acknowledged the Bellevue parent complaint, but said in an investigation document earlier this year that the investigators have “impeccable reputations” and that the WIAA staff “have no doubt that they handled the interviews and investigation process professionally and respectfully without prejudice or racial bias.”

The recent independent investigation was requested by the Bellevue School District after The Seattle Times published several stories about the program in 2015, including one that found 17 Bellevue players attended the Academic Institute. Among those players, The Times reported, was Myles Jack, who is projected to be a top NFL draft pick later this month.

There have been questions about Bellevue violating WIAA rules for more than a decade, along with concerns that the WIAA was not doing enough to proactively address the allegations. However, high school coaches who had issues with the program and the WIAA enforcement rarely made those comments publicly.

Bellevue High lost 48-42 to Eastside Catholic in the Class 3A state championship last December. Prior to that, Bellevue won 11 state championships between 2002 and 2014.

In 2006, Seattle Times reporter Michael Ko revealed that head coach Butch Goncharoff was paid at least $55,000 by a school booster club. That was not a WIAA violation, but it was significantly higher than Goncharoff's $5,600 district stipend at the time.

Mike Baker and Josh Liebeskind, reporters for The Seattle Times, spearheaded the newspaper's investigation into the allegations against the Bellevue program. Read their coverage here.

Here’s the text of the Bellevue report:

To:          Lauren McDaniel, Athletic Director, Bellevue High School

Jeff Lowell, Athletic and Activities Director, Bellevue School District

RE:        Bellevue High School Football, investigation and self-report

The following will address the KingCo League Self-Report Committee’s findings for the WIAA Investigative Report in to the Bellevue High School Football program and the subsequent self-report delivered by Bellevue High School and the Bellevue School District.  While the KingCo League hears self-reports from League members on a regular basis, this particular report involved some unique circumstances which required the committee to evaluate information from multiple sources.

In the normal course of a self-report, committee members are presented with evidence provided by the offending school, then weighs the evidence with the self-imposed (if any) sanctions, and letter of remedy provided by the offending school.  While this practice is in place for this particular report, additional information has also been provided by the WIAA Investigative Report.  This fact created a situation where the committee had to look in detail at evidence provided by an additional source other than the self-reporting member.

The committee spent numerous hours vetting the information provided by BHS and the BSD, as well as the WIAA Report and the corresponding exhibits.  While this process has taken much longer than a traditional self-report, the committee felt it was necessary to be thorough.

Attached are the findings of the committee and the KingCo League sanctions imposed on the Bellevue High School Football program and the Bellevue Athletic Department.  Please note that while this report created some unique circumstances, all appeal avenues remain in place should BHS and/or the BSD choose to pursue them.

Sincerely,

George Crowder

KingCo President and Self-Report Committee Chair

Allegation #1: Whether coaches directed athletes to the Academic Institute.

No Violation

Allegation #2: Whether boosters paid tuition of athletes at the Academic Institute.

The Committee finds that by a preponderance of evidence a violation is confirmed.

Allegation #3: Whether athletes used false addresses to gain eligibility.

Bellevue High School has submitted that a violation is confirmed.

Allegation #4: Whether athletes received subsidized housing to gain eligibility.

No Violation

Allegation #5: Whether coaches coordinated payments for athletes.

The Committee finds that by a preponderance of evidence a violation is confirmed.

Allegation #6: Players used Academic Institute to maintain eligibility.

No Violation

Allegation #7: Financial payments were made to coaches without approval from the BSD Board of Directors.

Bellevue High School has submitted that a violation is confirmed.

Allegation #8: Financial payments to support football camp are excessive and in violation of WIAA Rule 27.1.0.

Bellevue High School has submitted that a violation is confirmed.

Allegation #9: There was a failure to self-report money provided to a players’ family.

The Committee finds that by a preponderance of evidence a violation is confirmed.

Allegation #10: Athletes have been illegally recruited.

The Committee finds that by a preponderance of evidence a violation is confirmed.

Cox Media Group