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Washington high school football team punished for recruiting violations

Lawrence Andrew Fernandezby:Lawrence Fernandez•06/12/25•

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Washington high school football
Footballs during the first quarter at T.L. Hanna High in Anderson, S.C. Friday, September 6, 2024.

A Washington high school football team must satisfy several penalties and fines due to recruiting violations. As reported by The News Tribune’s Jon Manley, Roosevelt High School was guilty of level three violations after the investigation by the Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association executive board.

Roosevelt’s violations broke four rules in the WIAA handbook, including rule 27.0.0, which states, “Recruiting of students or attempted recruiting of students for athletic purposes is prohibited, regardless of their residence.”

An influx of transfers, including former players from their Puget Sound area rivals, helped the Roughriders reach the Washington high school football Class 3A state semifinals. As it turned out, the transfers did not follow the WIAA rules.

Hence, Roosevelt must address $17,500 worth of fines and other sanctions. Head coach Sam Adams and his deputies, Dominique Skeen and Saul Patu, must each pay a $2,500 fine. Roosevelt principal Tami Brewer and athletic director Danny Thompson must each pay a $2,500 fine as well.

Meanwhile, Adams and Patu will also receive a one-year coaching suspension at any WIAA-affiliated school. Likewise, Thompson gets a three-year probation and a three-year suspension from serving in any WIAA school.

For the school itself, the Roughriders will satisfy a one-year Washington high school football postseason ban, starting in the 2025 season. The entire athletic department will get a three-year probation and will vacate all games during the 2023 and 2024 seasons in which the ineligible players participated.

Vacating the wins could also mean forfeiture of any titles won during that stretch. This ruling brought Roosevelt’s record from 9-3 to 5-7, with their games against Camas, Bishop Blanchet, Ballard, and Garfield all considered as 2-0 forfeitures.

Moving forward, Roosevelt’s athletic department must submit paperwork on transfers to the Eligibility Committee for three years, starting in the 2025-26 season. Finally, transfer students who will provide false details will be ineligible for sanctioned competitions for one season.