We can thank the numerous schools throughout the state who have been serial offenders of the “no recruiting” mandate instituted a gazillion years ago. Schools and coaches turned up their noses at such bothersome statutes and recruited like there was no tomorrow.

The result is over-compensation via unfair and at times unscrupulous rulings on unnecessary rules.

Back in the day, all white, non-Catholic kids went to public schools close to their parents’ homes. Catholic kids went to Catholic schools regardless of where they lived. Before 1955 black kids were bussed to black schools. There were no CHRISTIAN Academies. That was OK. The current KHSAA rules are based on that mid-fifties concept of black schools for blacks, Catholic schools for Catholics and public school districts and their attendance boundaries for everybody else.

Athletic competition over time was fair. Some years white public schools would have a combination of good athletes who would win championships. Other years it would be black public schools, and sometimes it would be the Catholic schools.

Then the Christian schools appeared and the Catholic birth rate dropped, and black kids with athletic ability (none of them Catholic by family tradition) started showing up in Catholic schools—and nearly all the black kids in Catholic schools were good athletes. The now-integrated public schools got suspicious. They suspected recruiting. DUH.

Scott County a few years ago had a kid transfer from Laurel County or somewhere in that vicinity who helped them win a state championship as I recall, but then had a checkered college career because of drug issues. Jared Carter is a Scott County product. Then this past year there is a kid with a drug issue.

Did Euton’s family think because UK was interested in him that he could enroll in whatever school without regard to the rules? Is Zollo’s mother following the rules with regard to his transfer from Ohio to Clark County? Are coaches in the region watching to see that these high profile players are transferring according to the rules? You bet your bippy. That’s what competiton and winning is about.

The KHSAA is requiring schools to commit contempt of court. Since the KHSAA is the governing body for those schools, one could make the case that the KHSAA is itself engaging in contempt of court. Contempt is criminally actionable. Since when does a state high school sports association gain plenary authority over all sports related decisions? As far as I know, the state of Kentucky has not granted to KHSAA such power. Maybe throwing a few administrators in the can might clear up the situation at bit.