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Terry Sanford's season ends; Pine Forest to move forward

Terry Sanford senior Malichi Mills

Terry Sanford senior Malichi Mills

By Dan Bowens, WRAL News

Nov 17, 2009

A Cumberland County judge upheld a N.C. High School Athletic Association decision that the Terry Sanford High School football team must forfeit the entire season due to an ineligible player.

The decision came Tuesday after questions about senior defensive back Malichi Mills’ eligibility.

"The tragedy of this whole affair is the large number of players totally innocent prohibited from continuing in the playoffs," said Cumberland County Judge Jack Thompson, a 1959 graduate of Fayetteville High School, now known as Terry Sanford.

One week ago, the Fayetteville school self-reported the violation to the N.C. High School Athletic Association. That led the NCHSAA to order that the team forfeit its nine wins and give up its playoff berth.

Parents of four senior football players went to Thompson, who a granted a temporary injunction allowing Terry Sanford to play Saturday. The Bulldogs defeated Pine Forest, 49-28, to advance to the second round of the playoffs. They were scheduled to play New Hanover on Friday.

Lee Spruill, athletic director at Terry Sanford, told the judge Monday that questions arose about Mills’ eligibility after his report card showed a passing grade in English.

Jody Hawley, director of information technology for the Cumberland County school system, testified on Monday that Mills' final grade in his English 3 course last school year was 54, as of June 23. On June 30, Hawley said, the grade was changed to a 78.

“Somebody manually had to override that,” Hawley said. It was unclear why the change was made, but Hawley identified Pam Stone, a guidance counselor at Douglas Byrd High, as the person who changed the grade on June 30.

Terry Sanford head football coach Wayne Inman testified Tuesday that the school should "always rule in favor of the child to help the child be successful." Inman was referring to a policy within Cumberland County schools where teachers develop a written plan to help a student who is failing become successful.

Attorneys for the players argued that when Mills' failed the course, no written plan was developed to help him succeed. In that case, attorneys said the principal has the ultimate decision whether to pass or fail the student.

"No, his grades were not tampered with. There is more to the story than is being told in there," Mills' mother, Ethel Johnson, said Monday.

Attorneys for the NCHSAA said Tuesday the school's computer system still shows Mills' as a junior, not a senior.

As to the grade change, Cumberland County Schools Director of Activities Fred McDaniel said “it has no bearing on his eligibility. He missed too many days of school.”

Records show Mills was suspended for eight days last semester from the Cumberland Evening Program, and nine days from Terry Sanford High School.

One point of contention in the hearing centered on an agreement made by now-former principal Diane Antolak and the attorney for the Cumberland County Board of Education with Mills’ mother, Ethel Johnson. It agreed to expunge the disciplinary record against Mills for the 2008-2009 record, but it did not expunge his absences.

“You do not expunge absences,” McDaniel said. “You’re expunging the disciplinary record.”

Attorneys for members of the football team pointed out that Mills was disciplined through suspension and questioned why the absences wouldn’t be expunged as well.

David Phillips, the attorney for the school board, said “I don’t believe you can expunge an attendance record. It would create a false record.”

The attorneys suggested that if the suspension absences were expunged, then he would have been eligible to play football. The state requires that a player not miss more than 13.5 days of class.

As a result of Thompson's ruling, Terry Sanford will have to forfeit its nine regular season wins and its playoff victory from Saturday. The Bulldogs will also have to return all money made from Saturday's playoff game.

The NCHSAA decided Tuesday afternoon to allow Pine Forest to reenter the playoffs, said Quanta Holden, of the NCHSAA. The team will take on New Hanover on Friday in place of Terry Sanford.

(HighSchoolOT.com Editor Nick Stevens and WRAL.com Web Editor Kathy Hanrahan contributed to this story)

COMMENTS

77 Comments


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All I can say is that if MY son had been suspended multiple times, and was failing a class, the least of his worries would be his elegibility to participate in a sport. Come on people, where is the parental responsibility? We all need to be responsible for our own. "Each one Teach one"
ammarsh1
November 18, 2009 8:32 a.m.
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Charlescook is right!!! How is the coach not aware of this and why isn't more centered on him? This crooked coach should be fired in shame!! This is indeed pathetic. The real victims of this is the rest of the TS team and and all the work they've put in all the summer in conditioning and practices since Aug 1.
otaybw
November 18, 2009 8:19 a.m.
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Why is no one talking about the coach. How could he have possibly not have known about this? Maybe I am mis-understanding his statement, but he seems to agree with and justifies the grade change?
charlescook
November 18, 2009 8:03 a.m.
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"Some point out that rules are rules and all member schools agreed to follow those rules, but what about the student athletes who did nothing wrong? They went to class, made acceptable grades, showed up everyday for practice?"

I feel sorry for them. But what you're forgetting is that there is a whole team of kids from another school who did absolutely nothing wrong at all who should have been playing instead of Terry Sanford last week. Their season's over. They went to class too, they made acceptable grades too, and they went to practice too. They could have possibly won last week and still be in the playoffs. Where's your concern for them?
NCbluebird
November 18, 2009 3:32 a.m.
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Okay, my legal terminology was off. The lawyers "filed" the injunction, but the judge "granted" it, which he didn't have to do. And I have to ask: he granted it based on what? There was no compelling evidence anywhere that I've read that comes close to suggesting the NCHSAA had ruled wrongly. The judge chose to rule favorably for a very possibly guilty school (a principal had already been dismissed over it, for Pete's sake), while ignoring the repercussions to a totally innocent one. And that poor team had their season arbitrarily ended, and nobody can give that back to them now. How does that make any sense? It doesn't. It was a bad decision from the judge.
NCbluebird
November 18, 2009 3:23 a.m.
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Abiding by the established rules of the school and the laws of the community, regularly attending and passing all classes, and behaving appropriately in school and in the community - these are simple and clear guidelines for ALL students. None of this is new to anyone, especially the young man who violated all of them. The one who should be held accountable for this outrageous circumstance is him. I agree with CJZMOM - grow up adults - shame on you!
lifeisgood803
November 17, 2009 11:23 p.m.
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Well he does not deserve to play. It's sad that the entire team must suffer. But what happened to mothers enforcing that education come first. What happened to educators teaching and preparing all students for success. The world simply does not need another ignorant male with no education, values, respect, and self discipline. Come on... suspended multiple times and failing grades. Again, he does not deserve the right to play a high school sport. There is a good thing that these guidelines are in place. That's why some of our professional players think that they are above the law and get caught up in senseless crimes and situations. LEARN SOMETHING!!!
CJZMOM
November 17, 2009 11:08 p.m.
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"I realize that life is tough and there are hard lessons to be learned, but most are minor children that are depending on the adults, teachers,coach's and admins. to make good decisions, not throw them out like they deserved their fate.The NCHSAA maybe following the rules but they have failed the student athlete."

you said it plain and clear in your response/quote above: the students depended on the adults, teachers,coach's and admins. to make good decisions, that's who failed them, not the NCHSAA! from reading the article above, this situation concerning his grades and attendance goes back to the beginning of the school year to first of all, allow him to play football. this situation didn't just arise. they don't know if he is a junior or senior in school. the mother of the player stated and i quote-"No, his grades were not tampered with. There is more to the story than is being told in there," Mills' mother, Ethel Johnson, said Monday." who else is in jeapody @ TSH?
donalddeans29
November 17, 2009 10:06 p.m.
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I do not have any children/family involved in the TS situation, but am extremely perplexed by the general attitude of many regarding this situation. It seems that we are more concerned with the rule, than the over all welfare of our student athletes. I understand about the ineligible player, I get that. What I don't understand, is this attitude that all of the Terry Sanford players did wrong, or at least that is my perception of many of the comments.Some, point out that rules are rules and all member schools agreed to follow those rules, but what about the student athletes who did nothing wrong? They went to class, made acceptable grades, showed up everyday for practice? I realize that life is tough and there are hard lessons to be learned, but most are minor children that are depending on the adults, teachers,coach's and admins. to make good decisions, not throw them out like they deserved their fate.The NCHSAA maybe following the rules but they have failed the student athlete.IMO
cmdcurtis1
November 17, 2009 8:51 p.m.
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The judge did not file the injunction, the lawyers did. The judge had an initial hearing and determined that there may be evidence that the NCHSAA was wrong. So he granted the injunction and then held a hearing as soon as possible. He then weighed the evidence presented and ruled that the NCHSAA was right. The judge followed the rules of the court system. The lawyers are the ones who look foolish. There was overwhelming evidence that the student was ineligible to play.
johnsod27330
November 17, 2009 8:48 p.m.
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