The OHSAA agreed only to strike the word “probation” from its formal written notification to DPS. A reworded letter of reprimand was re-issued Wednesday. The word “probation” was replaced by the words “enforceable review.”
“They said it had a negative connotation,” OHSAA Commissioner Dr. Dan Ross said during a statewide media advisory committee meeting Wednesday. “We’ve replaced that with what that probation means.”
TIME LINE: From Week 10 football to OHSAA’s ruling
Of particular concern by the NAACP was all DPS high schools and middle schools being socked with sanctions. A lack of institutional control was cited following a lengthy OHSAA investigation that stemmed from a Week 10 regular-season football game between Dunbar and Belmont last season at Welcome Stadium.
NOT RENEWED: DPS refutes claim that Powell has been retained as Dunbar coach
Dunbar was found to have played an academically ineligible player and forfeited that game and a Week 9 game. That set in motion a reshuffling of playoff-qualifying teams and knocked Dunbar out of the postseason. Then-Dunbar athletic director Pete Pullen resigned that position soon afterward.
More damaging was an accusation by Dunbar coaches that DPS director of athletics Mark Baker instructed Dunbar to lose or forfeit to Belmont so both teams could qualify for the postseason. That resulted in two bizarre plays early in the third quarter in which Dunbar appeared to be “throwing the game,” according to the OHSAA report. A video of the plays was an Internet sensation when posted last month.
Derrick Foward, NAACP unit president, said he wrote two letters to OHSAA.
“We were highly concerned about the inequity and injustice that occurred with our students, our children and our athletics at Dayton Public Schools,” Foward said.
He said a meeting with OHSAA about a week ago became intense “because we were fighting for our athletes, our children and our students. Our whole concern was about our children.”
The OHSAA cited a lack of institutional control for its sweeping indictment of the entire school district. No individuals were named.
The NAACP had hoped OHSAA penalties would be restricted to Dunbar. “They came with two proposals,” OHSAA director of communications Tim Stried said. “We consented to one of the two.”
Should there be no similar bylaw violations, the third year of the “enforceable review” would be dropped and $2,500 of the fine refunded.
“We never thought about that being any kind of a negative connotation at all,” Ross said. “But, if they’ve identified that it is, then we just substituted the definition for what that means and took that word out.”
DPS did not respond to a request for comment. Baker recently was approved a two-year contract extension by the school board. All fall coaches recently were re-interviewed for those jobs and none has been named. DPS also recently announced it will no longer allow its high school athletic directors to coach.
Foward said he will be holding a news conference Thursday at 5 p.m.
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