Brookland-Cayce football granted relief from coach suspension, penalties
Brookland-Cayce’s football team got some relief Tuesday from stiff penalties that were originally assessed because of a violation of practice rules.
First-year B-C head coach Louis Clyburn’s five-game regular-season suspension was lifted, and he’ll be able to coach in the playoffs, the South Carolina High School League’s appellate panel ruled Tuesday. A school fine was reduced from $1,500 to $500.
The SCHSL appellate panel voted 4-0 to reduce sanctions against the Bearcats program. The league’s appellate panel decided on new penalties instead.
Brookland-Cayce will lose half of the 10 available summer competitions (7-on-7 events), and Clyburn can’t coach in the ones the school does participate in. The Bearcats still will lose three August practices and are only allowed to participate in one scrimmage.
“Something hasn’t worked like it is supposed to work and it’s hard to put a point on who caused the problem,” appellate panel member Andy Tweito said. “But I never have felt good about suspending a coach from a game, regular season or not.”
Panel member Otis Rawl agreed with Tweito.
“You expose yourself to a liability when you don’t have the decision-maker out there,” Rawl said. “... What we imposed is reasonable and giving responsibility to the right people.”
B-C was appealing the ruling handed down last week from the SCHSL executive committee regarding a player who participated in spring football practice but wasn’t enrolled at the school and was technically academically ineligible at the time. By rule, ineligible players are allowed to practice with a team but not play in games. And no games were being played in the spring.
The original SCHSL sanctions included keeping the team eligible for the playoffs but mandating that Clyburn and any assistants involved in the violation be suspended for half the regular season and all of the postseason. It also included loss of three days of practice, limiting the team to one preseason scrimmage and not allowing them to host a jamboree.
Unlike last week, B-C had Tuesday’s appeal in open session and talked about the player at the center of the case. The player, who wasn’t named but was described as a rising junior defensive lineman, attended and played football for Brookland-Cayce in the fall. After repeated issues with him missing school, the student withdrew and enrolled at Clear Dot Charter in order to get his academics in order, Brookland-Cayce leadership testified, with the intent of returning to B-C.
The player went through seven spring practices with B-C after the school said it got face-to-face verbal clearance for him to do so from the S.C. High School League, an approval that commissioner Jerome Singleton denied happening. The league also testified that the student was still enrolled at Clear Dot as of early June.
The player in question still is not yet eligible for games, but Clyburn said he is enrolled in a summer class at B-C. If he completes that, then he can play for the Bearcats in the fall.
