I agree the KHSAA is not above the judicial system.

 

I understand that when people do play by the rules happenings can be unethical. An example of that is when the winning teams calls timeouts at the end of the game when the score is not in doubt to rub it in.

 

However, the case with Mike Mitchell was ethical. He wanted to come to Highlands and his parents moved to Fort Thomas with a bona fide address. He was not recruited in any way and I can assure you that. People want to come to Highlands for various reasons. He was ruled eligible by the courts and was not able to play in 2 games of football and was not able to run track for a whole season because the KHSAA had a made a false ruling against Mike. There was nothing that he did wrong, and if there was anything that he or Highlands did wrong it would have been brought up in the court of law.

 

The only unethical thing is that people make false judgements about schools or people. Calling something unsportsmanlike because he or the school has done nothing wrong is a false judgement.

 

Ok. Allow me to open his reason to transfer slightly. He left Cov Cath for football...or girls. :thumb:

 

And i agee Mitchell, himself, did nothing wrong. I'm sure there are dozens of kids who would like to play football for Highlands their senior year so they could win a state championship and become more heavily recruited. IF the KHSAA is lawfully forced to return the previously vacated victories to HHS, there will be an ongoing gaping hole in their integrity for all of time to come.

I like that "Greener Pastures" ... Thats fine if you don't think anyone can transfer ever, even if it is what is best for the kid and what his parents thought was best for him. Especially someone who is now making more money than, probably, anyone that posts on here because of going to the greener pasture. That's your opinion and that's fine if you believe that.

 

Look, I'm not calling these folks wife beaters or saying they kicked my dog or anything. Mike makes a lot of money now. That's great for him. I'm just saying, what happened doesn't leave them exactly smelling like roses, and I think I can fairly say it probably adds to some of the dislike and animosity towards Highlands.

I'm not alleging that any of those involved didn't follow the law. However, I think someone can easily be unsportsmanlike without breaking any laws. For example, is it illegal to run up a score? No. Is it unsportsmanlike? Yes.

 

Please explain how what HHS, an entity that cannot determine the athletic eligibility of the kid, did was unsportsmanlike.

Look, I'm not calling these folks wife beaters or saying they kicked my dog or anything. Mike makes a lot of money now. That's great for him. I'm just saying, what happened doesn't leave them exactly smelling like roses, and I think I can fairly say it probably adds to some of the dislike and animosity towards Highlands.

 

Of course people are making many false accusations when stuff like this happens. The problem is that Highlands is currently being punished for something that they didn't do.

Oh, ok. Say, generally speaking, a kid named Mitch Michael wanted to play for the Sparrows because he wasn't happy playing for the Generals. And say Mitch was declared ineligible by the KHSAA, then got an order from his local elected judge (where the KHSAA usually loses anyway) saying he could play, which was later overturned on appeal say, just for drama, on the night of a big playoff game that Mitch played in, and -- hang with me for a minute more -- then the KHSAA spanked the Sparrows for abiding by the court order and letting Mitch play, despite the fact that the KHSAA -- if asked nicely -- would now say that it wouldn't smack teams for abiding by a court order.

 

How would the KHSAA handle that general problem?

 

I think I just wet myself laughing.:clap:

Please explain how what HHS, an entity that cannot determine the athletic eligibility of the kid, did was unsportsmanlike.

 

So if a high school senior who happens to be possible D1 caliber football player wants to transfer into a high school with a perennial powerhouse football program and play football, and his parents lease an apartment in that school district while still owning and maintaining a house in an out-of-district city, and you see no reason that might look, or much less be, a little shifty? You don't think it could possibly be frowned upon for that team to take advantage of that person jumping ship for a program that's more successful at the time? You don't think that starting him over other players who've been proving their worth on the field for 3 years (or more, considering the FTMSFL) might be a little off-putting to people?

Of course people are making many false accusations when stuff like this happens. The problem is that Highlands is currently being punished for something that they didn't do.

 

False accusations?

Okay...

 

Call me old-fashioned, but I think it's pretty unsportsmanlike to ditch a team for the sake of 'greener pastures', and I think it's unsportsmanlike to enable an individual to ditch their team and then reap the benefits of them doing so.

 

Just for clarification:

 

Was it just unsportsmanlike when he ditched his Cov. Cath teamates for Highlands between his Jr. and Sr. years or was it also unsportmanslike when he ditched his middle school friends and teamates in Boone County to attend Cov. Cath?

People on this thead alone have falsely accused Mike and Highlands of doing anything wrong. I believe he is right, and so do the courts. I encourage you to go to cincinnati.com and look at the stuff people say over there.

Just for clarification:

 

Was it just unsportsmanlike when he ditched his Cov. Cath teamates for Highlands between his Jr. and Sr. years or was it also unsportmanslike when he ditched his middle school friends and teamates in Boone County to attend Cov. Cath?

 

I suppose you could make that argument if you'd like...except my rebuttal to that would be the fact that the BCPWFL doesn't have any direct affiliation with a single high school. Boone County residents could end up going to high school at Walton-Verona, Ryle, Conner, Boone County HS, St. Henry and still be staying in their county... So one could argue that he wasn't necessarily ditching them seeing as they weren't necessarily guaranteed to go to the same school in the first place.

People on this thread alone have falsely accused Mike and Highlands of doing anything wrong. I believe he is right, and so do the courts. I encourage you to go to cincinnati.com and look at the stuff people say over there.

 

I've pretty clearly stated on this thread alone - at least a couple of times now - that I didn't think they broke any "rules" or "laws". :idunno:

People on this thead alone have falsely accused Mike and Highlands of doing anything wrong. I believe he is right, and so do the courts. I encourage you to go to cincinnati.com and look at the stuff people say over there.

 

Although Mitchell is an adult and a professional now, we should not be incriminating a former HS athlete. As I stated earlier, he just took advantage of a system that continually allows transfers to compete for a higher achieving institution without justified means. The only way that Highlands program has changed due to these past sanctions is they no longer get junior to senior transfers.

 

Now the kids move in their freshman year, which is not illegal.

Although Mitchell is an adult and a professional now, we should not be incriminating a former HS athlete. As I stated earlier, he just took advantage of a system that continually allows transfers to compete for a higher achieving institution without justified means. The only way that Highlands program has changed due to these past sanctions is they no longer get junior to senior transfers.

 

Now the kids move in their freshman year, which is not illegal.

 

Yahtzee!!!

 

:thumb::thumb:

So if a high school senior who happens to be possible D1 caliber football player wants to transfer into a high school with a perennial powerhouse football program and play football, and his parents lease an apartment in that school district while still owning and maintaining a house in an out-of-district city, and you see no reason that might look, or much less be, a little shifty?

 

All of that is on the Mitchells. HHS cannot be accountable for it.

 

You don't think it could possibly be frowned upon for that team to take advantage of that person jumping ship for a program that's more successful at the time?

 

Important question to all: Where does a school get the authority to make a determination on the nature of a transfer's eligibility? They followed all of the proper channels...which included the kid being ultimately found to be eligible, mind you.

 

You don't think that starting him over other players who've been proving their worth on the field for 3 years (or more, considering the FTMSFL) might be a little off-putting to people?

 

I have no doubt that lots of things are off-putting to lots of people. I've been around sports for quite a while and have 'seen it all' (or as much as I can stand!) I would assume that any transfer that comes in and is better than other players is 'off-putting' to the parents and associates of those that will lose their position because of said player.

I've pretty clearly stated on this thread alone - at least a couple of times now - that I didn't think they broke any "rules" or "laws". :idunno:

 

I did not say that you did. I specifically said that people on this thread have. I believe your opinion is wrong that he or Highlands acted "unsportsmanlike."