FOOTBALL: CBA files appeal, waits to hear from NCHSAA

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on October 30, 2016 1:45 AM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

PIKEVILLE -- Charles B. Aycock has filed an appeal with the N.C. High School Athletic Association regarding a recent in-house inquiry that revealed it had two ineligible players on its football team.

The two athletes in question did not comply with Rule 1.2.8 concerning physicals under the new "395 rule" implemented by the Association on Jan. 1 of this year. The players in question fell under the old "365 rule," which required anyone who received a physical in 2015 needed to have it updated to participate in their particular sport.

Their physicals expired on Aug. 31.

Aycock self-reported the violation, which will result in a $500 fine.

Before the start of each sports season -- fall, winter and spring -- parents of all athletes must attend a mandatory meeting required by the NCHSAA. In this year's meeting, parents were informed of the new eligibility rule through a power-point presentation and video.

Any athlete who received a physical on Jan. 1, 2016 would be eligible to play sports for 395 days. An athlete who took a physical during 2015 would not be eligible until the paperwork had been updated.

Charles Davis, athletics director at CBA, contended that the Association handbook did not include the new date about the "395 rule" -- even though he was aware that it appeared in the power-point and video sessions of the meeting.

Davis submitted an email to the Association on Thursday evening to meet the two-day working window required to file an appeal. He described the clerical error as an honest mistake.

"We reported a self violation," Davis said. "We have no problem paying the fine, but we're asking you to reconsider us having to forfeit due to a misunderstanding of the "395 rule" and the date was not printed in this year's handbook."

Dean Sauls, assistant superintendent of Wayne County Public Schools, supported Davis. But he added that the power-point and video clearly informed not only the parents, but the athletics staff as well to follow the "checks and balance" system to make sure every athlete was eligible to play.

When Sauls learned of Aycock's plight, he immediately notified the other high schools in the county to check their eligibility documents. He suggested that they highlight in yellow those athletes who are not on the "395 rule" to have their physicals updated immediately.

"Que (Tucker) is very fair," Sauls said of the Association's commissioner. "She can call the state board together in a conference call and get a vote. We are advocating on behalf of the students that have worked hard.

"Now, if this was academics, or days missed or an ineligible player by any other reason, I wouldn't blame them for not pushing it. If the Board votes in our favor, we're happy. If they vote against us, we've learned a valuable lesson to check records weekly."

Sauls expects the Association to render a decision Monday.

The Golden Falcons are currently 5-4 overall this season. If the Board accepts the appeal, their record remains intact. If the Board denies Davis' request, CBA will forfeit games to North Lenoir, Goldsboro, Corinth-Holders and Southern Wayne.

Those losses would drop CBA to 1-8 overall.

Aycock first learned of the eligibility issue on Tuesday. Sauls was informed of the situation and the matter was placed "on hold" until all parties involved could meet to discuss the school's position.

When contacted, Tra Waters, assistant commissioner of sports and championships with the Association neither confirmed nor denied the eligibility issue in question.

Waters went on to say that the Association does not share that information with the media and leaves it up to the respective school system to determine if they wish to release it publicly.

"That is our policy that keeps it clean on our end," Waters said. "We leave it up to that school to share with other people, or they may want to keep it in-house. We don't want to betray their trust."