Tahlequah Sequoyah football players, coach ineligible
BY MIKE BROWN World Sports Writer
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
10/24/12 at 3:36 AM
Eight members of the Tahlequah Sequoyah football team and head coach Brent Scott are in violation of an Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association rule and are ineligible to participate until further notice, the school announced Tuesday in a release from the Cherokee Nation.
Scott and the players are in apparent violation of a rule governing summer camp participation, Sequoyah officials confirmed.
OSSAA Rule 10-D-2c prohibits an athlete's participation in individual camps whose expenses are paid by his "school, or by school personnel or by any booster group or organization associated with the school, or by any non-family member."
The violations came to light after the OSSAA asked Sequoyah to submit records on camp participation in all of the school's athletic programs, OSSAA executive secretary Ed Sheakley said. Sequoyah officials learned Monday of the football violations, athletic director Marcus Crittenden said.
Sheakley said Sequoyah had not submitted its final report, and the probe continues.
Scott and the eight players will remain ineligible at least until Nov. 7 when they are scheduled to plead their case before the OSSAA Board of Directors. That means they will miss the Class 3A No. 9 Indians' final two regular-season games. Sequoyah (7-1) visits No. 9 Hilldale (9-1) on Friday to decide the District 3A-7 championship.
Additional penalties would be at the OSSAA Board's discretion, Sheakley said.
The violations come less than a month after Sequoyah vacated its 2012 Class 5A slowpitch softball state title for using an ineligible player.
As he did in the earlier case, Sequoyah superintendent Leroy Qualls said the football athletes involved, "through no fault of their own, are being punished for the actions of former administrations at Sequoyah High School. We are working closely with the OSSAA to resolve all issues."
Crittenden said, "The alleged infractions date back several years, and did not occur under our current Cherokee Nation or Sequoyah High School administration. Since I was named athletic director in August, we have followed all OSSAA policies to the letter."
Original Print Headline: Tah. Sequoyah football players, coach ineligible
Mike Brown 918-581-8390
mike.brown@tulsaworld.com
