NCHSAA strips Northern Guilford High School of its state basketball championship after Guilford County Schools’ investigation determined that two ineligible players were on the team.
A couple of questions here —- OK, five players were found to be ineligible on six teams, but were they recruited— which —- correct me if I’m wrong —- is the charge that’s been bandied about in the local media. GCS says former Northern principal Joe Yeager and former athletic director Derrell Force should have known the players were ineleigible —true —- but did they play an active role in bringing the ineligible players to Northern?
The other question is why Northern basketball coach Stan Kowalski is being fired —- the formal language is his contract isn’t being renewed —although the “the school system’s investigation into Northern Guilford’s athletic program had found no wrongdoing on the part of Kowalewski.”
I’m just trying to figure out if this is excessive punishment. If ineligible players were used — and that appears to be the official determination —- then stripping the title is the punishment. But why are employees —- including former custodian Lewis Lawson —- losing their jobs over this? I’m just asking, and forgive me if I’m skeptical of anything GCS does.
