The North Carolina High School Athletic Association has long shown it does not have the best interest of high school athletes at heart, for example by expanding the state HS football playoffs in order to fatten its budget at the expense schools that must host drab, money-losing playoff match-ups.
But that is just money. Charlie Adams and crew threw down a mind-numbingly cruel and capricious decision Friday afternoon by decreeing that the South Meck football team’s season was over. Not just over but erased. Gone. All games forfeited including a playoff game against Central Cabarrus, the first in a generation for the Sabres.
Why? What grave error could the team and the school — and by extension CMS — have committed? How did they cheat and game the system? What did they do wrong?
A mom got cancer.
You may remember Sheila Yokeley. She’s the woman who found out in June she had breast cancer. Jey Yokeley is her son and South Meck’s starting quarterback. First the team, then the school, then even South Meck’s opponents rallied around the Yokeleys as the season progressed. They would turn her fight against cancer into a chance to educate the community about breast cancer. Pinks ribbons and pom-poms all around.
Meanwhile in the the flux of all and a looming move to Wilmington, Jey moved in with his grandparents. CMS was notified of the change in living arrangements. Yet somehow no one noted that the NCHSAA requires players to live with legal guardians to be eligible to play. Moving in with grandparents does not count according the NCHSAA rulebook.
And that is all the petty apparachiks needed. Jey was not living with his legal guardians, nevermind why, nevermind the intent or the circumstances. A rule is a rule. We all know how much bureaucrats love to enforce rules and flex their muscles. South Meck’s season was doomed.
And let’s not forget that someone at CMS and in South Meck’s athletic department dropped the ball by not being aware that the NCHSAA had the capacity to impose this kind of penalty on the school. Sure it defies all common sense, but we are talking about a clique with rules to enforce — common sense does not enter into it.
So we are left with an impossibly sad outcome. Adults snatching away a beautiful season of effort and compassion from kids to serve their own power and prestige. Charlie Adams and the NCHSAA should apologize for the great harm they have done. But won’t. Because they do not have to. There’s nothing in the rule book about apologies.
Bonus Observation: I was thinking hard about going to the Butler-Independence playoff game, but as some of my ticket money will be routed back to Adams and the NCHSAA, I won’t be doing that. I suggest others do the same. In fact, I think all CMS schools should take the portion of the playoff gate that is supposed to go to the Chapel Hill mafia and instead donate the money to breast cancer research in protest of the injustice done to South Meck players, fans, and students.
Time Warner, Wendy’s, Wachovia, and Ford are NCHSAA sponsors whom you may also want to contact regarding this decision by their partner.
