By Graham Sweeney
The Germantown High School football program has been put on probation for two calendar years and fined $1,000 for breaking TSSAA recruiting rules.
According to TSSAA Executive Director Bernard Childress, several families with students attending Houston Middle School received letters inviting 10 student athletes to an “open house” to meet Germantown High School’s new football coach at the Athletic Fieldhouse.
Athletic recruiting is prohibited by TSSAA Article II, Section 17.
During the period of probation, Germantown can participate in football at all levels, including the season ending playoff series. However, any other violations within the program will result in further disciplinary action.
Germantown football spring and fall scrimmages will be cut in half for the next two years and the program will be restricted from participating in annual jamborees.
Probation to an individual sport in an athletic program results in an annual $500 fine.
Any of the students who received letters will be ineligible to participate at Germantown in all sports for one year should they decide to attend.
Year one probation includes:
• 1 Spring scrimmage instead of 2
• 2 Fall scrimmages instead of 4
• No Football Jamboree
• Mandatory professional development for all coaches, administration and booster club officers in every TSSAA sanctioned sport
Year two probation includes:
• Spring practices reduced to 5 over a 10-day period
• 1 Spring scrimmage instead of 2
• 2 Fall scrimmages instead of 4
• No Football Jamboree
• Mandatory professional development for all coaches, administration and booster club officers in every TSSAA sanctioned sport
Childress commended the GHS administration for self reporting the violation and “taking appropriate disciplinary action to ensure this type of situation does not occur again.”
