WarTiger 3,914 Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 oh, darn...too bad... link The Alabama High School Athletic Association ruled wide receiver Tristan Purifoy ineligible on Tuesday, costing Hoover High School the forfeiture of all victories in which Purifoy played. Hoover must also pay a $2,000 fine and will be placed on probation for three years, according to A.W. Bolt, a Hoover school board member. Bolt said the AHSAA ruled that further action could be taken if other situations occur. Bolt said he was told the player was ruled ineligible for two reasons -- improper participation at Hoover before he enrolled, and not changing his residency in accordance with AHSAA rules. Purifoy transferred from Hanceville High, a 3A football program, last summer. Football coach Rush Propst has previously said the AHSAA had questions regarding who holds custody of Purifoy -- his mother or his father. The AHSAA sought from Hoover last week Purifoy's official withdrawal date from Hanceville, his enrollment date at Hoover, the family's current and past residences, the entire court file for his custody, and the date when Purifoy began working out with Hoover. It is not clear how many victories Hoover will have to forfeit. The Birmingham News has previously reported that Purifoy played in every game this season except a 20-12 win over Minor on Oct. 5. The penalties do not ban Hoover from the state playoffs this season, if they are eligible despite the forfeited victories. See Wednesday's Birmingham News for more details. Jon Solomon link October 18, 2007, 7:12 pm Storm Clouds Over a Powerhouse Football Coach By Patrick J. Lyons Tags: Alabama, americana, education, ethics, sports Rush Propst.Rush Propst, the embattled head football coach in Hoover, Ala., photographed in January. (Scott Gries/MTV) Even if you don’t live in “Friday Night Lights†territory yourself, you’ve surely gotten wind by now of how hugely high school football can loom in the life of thousands of communities across wide swaths of the country. No need to repeat here how the teams and the games become so freighted with hometown pride and expectation that the life of the whole community can sometimes seem to twist into a vortex around the playing field, or how the sport and those who take part in it  the players and, especially, the coaches  can be blown up much larger than life. All of which goes to illuminate the problem they’re grappling with in Hoover, Ala., where the Board of Eduction met in special session this afternoon. Hoover is something of a powerhouse in Alabama football, you see  five state Class 6A championships in the last seven years, featured on MTV’s “Two-a-Days†program  and the team seems playoff-bound again this year, with three games left to play. But it’s getting awfully hard to paint the head coach, Rush Propst, as the paragon of sportsmanship, can-do spirit and small-town American values that is called for in the script. Well, the can-do part maybe he’s still got. Much of the controversy that has been swirling around Mr. Propst for months seems to concern things that football fans might shrug off as mere excesses of zeal (complaints of recruiting violations, fixing grades for players and the like) or as excesses of gravy-training (allegations of unreported income from running training camps, free personal use of a truck supplied by a local auto dealer, and so on). Unethical, maybe, but not necessarily criminal, and to hear Mr. Propst’s lawyer tell it, hardly uncommon. All that stuff is laid out in a lengthy investigative report (pdf) prepared for the school district by a Birmingham law firm back in August and released over the weekend. The coach denied any impropriety in the way he ran the team. But wait. There’s more. What’s this about a second family? Look way back on page 63 of the 68-page report from the lawyers: It is widely reputed in St. Clair County, where Propst formerly was a head football coach at Ashville, that he has had for many years a not-so-secret second family, now residing in the Pell City area. Propst’s bank account records – which he allowed us to review, though not obligated to do so – reflect that he has been providing financial support for this family. In our interview with him during this investigation – which occurred after newspaper reports of such accusations – he declined to make any comment about this matter, stating simply that he had dealt with it with the persons involved. We have not attempted to fully explore these accusations. From what we have learned from several reliable sources, we believe they are true. The lawyers go on to say that they found scant evidence that whatever the coach may have been up to in St. Clair County had had any direct impact on the Hoover football program. Likewise with an alleged affair between the coach and an assistant principal who figures in some of the reported episodes of favored treatment of players, an affair that the supposed participants evidently neither confirmed nor denied when confronted with questions. (The coach has refused to comment to reporters on his private life.) In both situations, the report found signs that some school officials knew about what was going on and tried to keep it under wraps, presumably in hopes of avoiding a scandal that might cost the school Coach Propst’s services. And there we get to the reason for much of the outrage that has blown up over this whole matter, and for The Lede’s interest in the case. From the look of things, some in the Hoover school system were willing to bend way, way over backward for a long time to accommodate a winning coach who, at the very least, seems to have been less than assiduous about adhering to all kinds of rules, from the norms of marital fidelity to financial propriety to academic integrity to the ethics of his profession, such as they may be. As it all spills out in public now anyway, it’s undercutting the usual justification offered for the gargantuan amounts of time, energy and tax money that are consumed across the country every year by high school football  that the sport builds character. When a Hoover school official suggested putting off dealing with the mess until after the football season ends in December, back came complaints that once again pursuit of a trophy was being put ahead of doing the right thing. This week, the state high school athletic association began investigating whether this year’s team included an ineligible player, the Hoover school superintendent asked the state ethics commission to investigate Coach Propst, and that assistant principal was reassigned, prompting her to say she would quit at the end of the school year, according to The Birmingham News. The coach himself still has his job. But the win-at-any-cost mentality is starting to run up quite a price tag at Hoover High. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BZ770 2 Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 Hoover and Propst are probably in bed with the devil, but they shouldn't punish the innocent kids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigSammyK 171 Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 Hoover and Propst are probably in bed with the devil, but they shouldn't punish the innocent kids. Couldn't agree more. The school should definitely suffer some sort of penalty but that's an incredibly harsh penalty for those kids who had absolutely nothing to do with the situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AU alum 2 Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 From the Montgomery Advertiser, yesterday's newspaper: (the part in bold letters just jumped out at me) Hoover High buffeted by investigation By Jay Reeves The Associated Press HOOVER -- Hoover High School is winning football games, just like it did during its two-year run on MTV's "Two-A-Days" show, but a lot of the fun is missing this year. The once-premier program in Alabama prep sports is getting knocked around like a skinny offensive lineman, and the problem doesn't have anything to do with blocking or tackling. One investigation raised troubling questions about the very adults who are supposed to make sure the boys play by the rules, and two other state reviews are under way. Grades, player eligibility, finances and the personal life of head coach Rush Propst all are under scrutiny. A school administrator has resigned, and the bombastic Propst could face criminal charges if an ethics review finds evidence he violated financial reporting laws. Propst's lawyer denies the coach hid income and is trying to raise questions about rival schools, and Propst said his wife normally handles such paperwork for him. But the case has rocked the very bedrock of a fast-growing Birmingham suburb best known for sprawling neighborhoods, a huge shopping mall, traffic tie-ups and the mighty Hoover Bucs. "Our community is so enamored with football. Our local high school team draws more people in half a season than the local college team, UAB, does in a full season," said Robin Schultz, who has two children in city schools and worries about the influence of sports on academics. An investigation that was led by a retired federal judge and cost the school system more than $151,000 referred to Hoover football as "big business" -- a term more often attached to top-tier college football than the high school game. But then, the probe found whiffs of corruption normally reserved for the big leagues. The investigation concluded a few blue-chip football players got preferential treatment in the classroom, with one player improperly being allowed to take a test three times to get a passing grade. An assistant principal implicated in the favoritism quit last week. Hoover knowingly played ineligible players in a junior varsity game last year, and an assistant coach went to the practice of a rival school to spy on its workouts, according to the report. The Buccaneers are 6-1 and bound for the playoffs, but they might have to forfeit four of those wins and could miss the postseason if a review by the Alabama High School Athletic Association concludes that Propst let an ineligible player compete after transferring from a small-town school. Meanwhile, Hoover Superintendent Andy Craig asked the Alabama Ethics Commission to determine if Propst illegally received outside income from Hoover's televised games and other deals and failed to file reports required of all public employees. Perhaps most damning in Bible-belt Alabama -- where football coaches often are held in the kind of reverence as preachers -- the board's investigation concluded that Propst, who is married with three children, supported a second, "not-so-secret" family in another county where he used to work. Players and their parents have been mostly silent about the scandal. A telephone call went dead when the president of Hoover's football boosters, George Barefield, heard a reporter was on the line. He didn't return a message seeking a call back. A handful of people attended a prayer meeting early Monday that was organized by a team mom who said she wanted to counter the negative publicity that has engulfed Hoover. Propst stood in the shadows during the gathering, but afterward he thanked supporters for their backing and indicated he might not be the head coach much longer. "At the end of the day I want what's best for Hoover, for this great city," Propst told WBRC-TV. "I just want to continue to be a part of it. In what capacity, I don't know." Propst repeatedly has said he isn't perfect, but he refuses to discuss claims about his personal life. His lawyer has tried to turn public attention to a rival high school, Spain Park, where there haven't been similar claims of wrongdoing or any investigation. "Why is this about Rush Propst?" attorney Russ Campbell asked reporters. Part of it probably goes back to MTV. The winners of four straight state titles before losing in last year's championship game, Hoover became a national powerhouse under Propst. The national rankings and games televised on ESPN led to the "Two-A-Days" series, which -- rightly or wrongly -- depicted Propst as an arrogant, profane, win-at-any-cost coach. Hoover gained admirers nationwide, sales of Bucs T-shirts and hats skyrocketed, and Propst wound up at the 2007 Super Bowl, courtesy of MTV. He even signs autographs. But the notoriety also helped put a bulls-eye on the school and its coach, who gets the free use of a pickup from a local dealership, just like a big-time college coach. "There have been rumors and questions going on for years," said Trisha Crain, a local education advocate who has followed the football probe closely. "What MTV did was turn the light on and show what was going on in the football program." Rumors on the Internet and radio talk shows were soon accompanied by stories in the mainstream media, and the board investigation ensued. The 71-page report by former U.S. District Judge Sam Pointer documenting the problems at Hoover High was released at 9 a.m. Oct. 13, a Saturday. The timing of the release, after the Bucs' Friday night 16-7 victory over Vestavia Hills, gave the team the maximum amount of time to deal with the flak and get ready for the next big game, a 34-20 win gainst Homewood." Guess him having a second family does not humiliate her enough, he is trying to blame her for part of his problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TigerOne 1,151 Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 they need saban to save them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abrnfanatc 6 Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 Hoover and Propst are probably in bed with the devil, but they shouldn't punish the innocent kids. If by devil you mean the REC, then you are correct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quietfan 233 Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 Does anyone know (since I don't watch MTV myself), has MTV even mentioned the Hoover probe/scandal? Seems like since they helped create the beast, they have some responsibility to report recent events to the same national audience that watched "Two a Days". ...even perhaps a half hour "MTV News" special. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WinCrimson 61 Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 Hoover and Propst are probably in bed with the devil, but they shouldn't punish the innocent kids. "Ya darn tootin'." -- Logan Young as he walked the plank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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