By all indications, a Florida high school football coach was just trying to do the right thing when he allowed a homeless player to live with him. Now that coach and his school are facing fines that could reach into the thousands of dollars -- and potential forfeiture of victories -- because of the player's housing arrangements.
According to OrlandoSentinel.com, St. Cloud (Fla.) High School coach Bill Buldini sat out his team's 20-17 loss to Edgewater last Friday after the school self-reported a violation of Florida High School Athletic Association code aimed at curbing the recruiting of players. The rule states that no school employee or representative of the school's athletic department can provide or promise free or reduced-cost housing for a potential athlete in their program.
The FHSAA rule may be well meaning, but school officials insist that Buldini did not violate any district rules. The Osceola County School District reinstated Buldini to both his coaching duties and day job as a social studies teacher at the school on Monday. That's where things stand now, and they may stay that way for awhile. According to WFTV.com, the FHSAA has offered no indication of how long its investigation into Buldini will last.
While no one has openly questioned Buldini's motivation for taking in the player, the Osceola County School District said that its regulations call for the district to work with homeless and dispossessed students directly rather than rely on its employees.
In the meantime, the St. Cloud community has rallied behind the embattled coach, who is paid only a $3,850 annual stipend for serving as the Bulldogs head coach. The FHSAA has already made it clear Buldini may have to forfeit some of that stipend if he is found guilty of violating its rules.
"I don't really see much wrong with that," St. Cloud student Melanie Hernandez told WFTV. "Maybe they're just thinking too hard into it because if he has nowhere else to go, someone needs to give him help."
[Watch: HS player's inspirational touchdown]
Hernandez's points seems to encompass the prevailing logic at the moment, though the FHSAA may not agree. In the meantime, the student who stayed with Buldini -- his name is not being released because of privacy issues -- is being held out of all St. Cloud practices and games.
Between the player's temporary ineligibility and Buldini's uncertain future, there should be plenty of motivation for the FHSAA to conclude its investigation swiftly. Until then St. Cloud will play on with questions about its future, and what it has already achieved.
----- Forwarded Message ----
From: sven
To: gpigott@fhsaa.org
Cc: aozuna@fhsaa.org
Sent: Thu, September 30, 2010 3:33:51 PM
Subject: Perhaps you have misplaced your black heart
From: sven
To: gpigott@fhsaa.org
Cc: aozuna@fhsaa.org
Sent: Thu, September 30, 2010 3:33:51 PM
Subject: Perhaps you have misplaced your black heart
From: Roger Dearing <
To: "
Sent: Fri, October 1, 2010 12:04:00 PM
Subject: Response
First, I want to thank you for taking the time to write to us about the situation with the student-athlete living with the coach at St. Cloud High School. As you might imagine, we have received about two-dozen emails, and a hand full of telephone calls. It is simply impossible to respond to each of the written correspondence in a personal manner. However, the main contents of the response to each are the same issues. So, please allow me to elaborate.
Background:
Last Friday, our office received a telephone call from the Principal, who wanted to self-report a violation of the bylaws and policies of the FHSAA in regard to a person with an athletic interest at the school (in this case the head football coach) allowing a student athlete to move into his home and live with him. She went into some detail about the situation involving the student's family and the financial duress.
I asked her to call the coach and the student into her office and obtain an initial written response to the allegations, which she did. There will be much more information that must be presented, but in the meantime the student is ineligible for receiving an impermissible benefit.
I explained the violations that this situation entails and explained the two steps of due process involved if the school wants to appeal the rules for extenuating or hardship circumstances. By our rules, this must be done before a panel of peers at a sectional appeals meeting. The peers consist of athletic coaches and school administrators, from this schools administrative section, and an attorney chairs the panel. For the time being, the rules of the Association prevail, and until all of the evidence is presented the student is ineligible.
The Mid-Term Aftermath:
The story of this child, which is indeed heartwarming, goes onto yahoo and the FHSAA offices begins to receive letters and calls. These contacts are made by well meaning people, like you, who have read a part of the entire story and have come to a conclusion without all of the facts. Unfortunately, some people have laced their writings and phone calls with threats and profanity. Several people want to know, "haven't you ever seen the movie Blind Side, you (expletive deleted)."
So, let me take a second and digress. In 1982 I was an assistant superintendent of schools in the very same district where St. Cloud High School is located. (As an aside, and a matter of fact, I was the principal of that school some 25 years ago.) My son came to his mother and me with one of his African-American friends, who was faced with a situation almost identical to this one. He and his family (mother, father, sister and three nieces and nephews) lived in a two-bedroom trailer, both parents had lost their jobs and they could not afford to keep their home and were faced with moving out of state. As parents, we took the appropriate steps to obtain legal guardianship and have the young man move into our home, for what was going to be his senior year in high school. The day he moved in, he had a grocery bag full of clothes, and that's it, not even a toothbrush. That young man lived in our home for nearly three years. He graduated from high school, and we were fortunate enough to get him a scholarship to attend the local police academy. He is a police officer in that community today. My son is a firefighter in that community today. I guess I went to the extent to relay this story to let you know that, "yes" I have seen the movie Blind Side AND, I have lived it. So, even though I have been called many names and assigned the title of a heartless "so and so", I report to you that I am totally aware of this type of circumstance and know there is a right way and a wrong way to provide the loving home environment that is needed.
Rush to Judgment:
Now, in closing I want to relay there is a system within our Association to appeal for a waiver of the bylaws and policies, and this avenue is open to the school - once the entire investigation of the circumstances is complete and all of the evidence has been collected. It is way too early to condemn anyone in this office and to reach a conclusion about all of the facts and circumstances based on a story, which only contained a portion of the pertinent details. I would ask that you allow the process to take place and whatever the final outcome may be, it will be the result of due process hearing where all of the facts are detailed.
Thank you for taking the time to contact our offices. I appreciate the fact that you are interested in high school athletics and that you care enough to take the time to write and express your concerns. And, thank you for taking the time to read this lengthy response in the respectful and heartfelt manner in which it is intended to reply to your concerns.
Sincerely,
Dr. Roger Dearing
Executive Director
FHSAA
Roger,
Thanks much for your email - while my email was sarcastic in nature I did put it on a Panda letterhead so I do hope that it wasn't too offensive. I do appreciate your detailed response and hope that some of the wackos out there aren't too wacko and if they are that they don't live too close to florida. I of course won't tell you how to do your job and did wonder about the complete coverage...which I alluded to in my email. It's really great because there are many people who took time to write you, as I did, but have done nothing for the homeless in their own community (like I don't). I'm actually thinking of handing out leaflets to the homeless in our community to let them know that they would be warmly received in your community.
This part of your email "in the meantime the student is ineligible for receiving an impermissible benefit." is a little odd to me and if I were in the same situation I would most likely set up something right away to resolve the issue and not it linger. Cheese is stinkiest when it gets old you know. But, if i were you, I also wouldn't be living in Florida. I mean for cripes sake...you're so low to the earth that you can't even have a basement down there....not to mention its flat as heck. Where on earth do you go sledding in the winter?
You keep pointing out "by our rules"...and "the rules"...it would seem you are too captured by the system to understand how your system may be negatively affecting not only the student and the coach, but also Florida high school athletics and by extension the entire human race, quite possibly the fabric of existence itself. I would like to also point out that what a person has done in the past doesn't really matter, but that it's the present that counts. I once helped an old lady cross the street. I also ate a co-workers lunch today from the fridge...but I'd like to remind you about the aforementioned lady and the street incident (which caused me to be late for a pedicure).
You have asked that I "allow the process to take place". I'm definitely not going to try and stop it. What remedy would the coach and young man have then?
All that being said, I am considering rooting for a Florida collegiate team. Which would you suggest I root for? I'm leaning towards the Gators because gators make nice boots. Thoughts on this?
Warm Regards,
Sven
Sven
----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Roger Dearing
To: sven
Sent: Fri, October 1, 2010 12:55:05 PM
Subject: Re: Response
Thanks for your reply. The Gators would be the team to root for. Not only the boots, but wallets and belts hold up well too.
Dr. Roger Dearing
Dr. Roger Dearing
Executive Director
F. H. S. A. A.
From: Roger Dearing
To: sven
Sent: Fri, October 1, 2010 12:55:05 PM
Subject: Re: Response
Thanks for your reply. The Gators would be the team to root for. Not only the boots, but wallets and belts hold up well too.
Dr. Roger Dearing
Dr. Roger Dearing
Executive Director
F. H. S. A. A.
No comments:
Post a Comment