Firings in college football, the latest Bengals meltdown…and the most public embarrassment in high school football we’ve known in some time. From the highest level to where it all starts, and somehow high school seems to shock us the most.
Unless you live in a cave, by now you’ve heard, or read, about the situation in Ironton, Ohio, concerning alleged cheating in high school football.
Specifically, the Ohio High School Athletic Association announced over the weekend that the Division V reigning state champions have been excluded from this year’s championship playoff for recruiting violations that go back seven seasons.
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In addition, the OHSAA suspended members of the coaching staff.
According to other reports, Ironton City Schools have announced that the football program has been placed on probation through the 2028 season.
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According to an OHSAA investigation, members of the Ironton football program engaged in “ongoing and coordinated recruiting efforts,” including communications aimed at influencing student-athlete enrollment.
And according to conversations with members of the community…the most feared of sanctions was that of the OHSAA stripping Ironton of its 2024 state title, a watershed event that salved the wounds of years and decades of both close and humbling defeats in the state finals for a city that has long set its football program forward as a statement of community pride. That admonishment, however, was spared. The Tigers get to keep their 2024 trophy, tainted though it may be.
For their part, the local school board released the following statement: “We are deeply disappointed in this determination, particularly because the sanctions imposed harm our students who were in no way involved in any wrongdoing, and we are particularly distressed about the impact on our seniors.”
In addition: “This is a setback, but it does not erase the hard work and accomplishment of our students as a team this year. We are so proud of them, and we will not let this take away from our pride or our legacy, and we will strive to uphold the values of Ironton City Schools, both on and off the field.”
Which, in the minds of some, are probably not that clear now.
“It (football) is a big deal in Ironton,” a reader wrote over the weekend. “Maybe too big a deal.”
And is this the last of the ignominy for Ironton football? Time will tell, as various reports over the weekend say there may be more sanctions to come.
Having grown up in Lawrence County, and having lived outside of Ironton for many years, I still have many family members and acquaintances in the community. My phone buzzed with “did you hear” throughout the weekend. The Tigers were again pointing for the playoffs this year with a 9-1 record, however, playing as an independent after leaving the Ohio Valley Conference in 2024. The reasons for being an independent are as varied as the number of people you ask.
And few of the people I spoke with were surprised at the announcement…just the length of time that it took for it to come about. The OHSAA, apparently, had been investigating for some time.
Said one, bitterly: “This is not about the kids, but about adults behaving badly. They have no one to blame but themselves.”
Another: “How could the kids not know? How could something like this be kept a secret in the locker room? Legacy and pride? That’s what got us into this mess.”
One more added: “And how many more Irontons are out there? I would imagine plenty, if you wanted to find them.”
And a response received from central Ohio: “This is the price you pay for open enrollment, and when you worry about what’s fair, and people offended by stricter rules. For years the rule stated that if you transferred from one school district to another you sat out a year, period. If you transferred you didn’t play until the following year.”
Actually, if that rule ever existed it was amended in 2018 to read that if you transferred you sat out for only half of the following year, and then were eligible for the second half of the regular season and the playoffs.
“There’s just so many ways to cheat,” this person added. “And if you want to clean things up it’s going to be messy.”
And are there more Irontons?
“Football’s pretty important to people,” said a friend from Proctorville on Saturday. “People are people, wherever you go. And NIL and gambling are just down the road.”
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What we all saw (if you watched it) was another Bengals meltdown on defense Sunday, blowing a late lead in the final seconds to lose to the winless New York Jets, 39-38…on a pass from a Jets running back to the end zone. I’m not sure that play even qualified for playground.
I don’t watch much NFL football, and particularly the Bengals, because despite three appearances in the Super Bowl over the years their decades-long habit of ineptness simply isn’t worth three hours of my time.
It’s simply criminal to spend the money they’ve spent on their star offensive players (justified), and then squeeze pennies like they do on defense. They knew after last season that they couldn’t stop anyone and what did they do? They kept the players and fired the defensive coordinator, Lou Anarumo, who, if you’re paying attention, is 7-1 now as the defensive coordinator with another NFL team (Indianapolis).
Instead of spending in free agency for impact players on defense…they drafted inexperienced college players, as they’ve done now for three consecutive drafts.
Is it Zac Taylor? Partly.
Is it the roster personnel? In large part, yes.
Is it player personnel man (for lack of a general manager), Duke Tobin? 100%.
It’s Tobin’s roster, and he’s the one with whom long-suffering Bengal fans should question over names like Shemar Stewart, Demetrius Knight, Myles Murphy and DJ Ivey. All defensive players from the last three drafts, and need we repeat? Recently inept Indianapolis is now 7-1…with Lou Anarumo!
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But the ‘Tigers’ in Cincinnati are no more miserable than those at LSU, who after years of frustration and underachievement fired head coach Brian Kelly Sunday following Saturday night’s embarrassing 49-25 loss to Texas A&M.
LSU is stuck with paying off Kelly’s contract…$53 million dollars…and with four games to play and the future as uncertain as winning their remaining four games, the Tigers are at a loss to find a replacement that can bring them instant gratification for burning that $53 million.
If you believe in karma, remember the uproar Kelly created when he left the University of Cincinnati after the 2009 season to take the head job at Notre Dame. It’s reported that he literally left the post-season awards ceremony at UC, exiting the back door for a waiting car that was taking him to a South Bend press conference announcing him as the new coach.
Kelly never really delivered in South Bend, and now he’s failed to deliver at LSU. One would wonder if this cat (Tiger) has used up his nine lives in coaching. Of course, he could hook on with the Bengals.
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