Superintendent Apologizes for Handling of HS Football Recruiting Scandal, External Investigation Planned

Fairfax (Va.) County Public Schools superintendent Michelle Reid has apologized for the way a recent football recruiting scandal at Hayfield Secondary School was handled, and she's promising a full external investigation on the matter in the near future. 

Hayfield officially withdrew from the football postseason amid a recruiting scandal that prompted the school's athletic director to resign. 

According to the Fairfax Times, Hayfield athletic director Monty Fritts resigned after secret text messages from January 2024 were disclosed. The messages reportedly revealed recruiting improprieties. 

“The buck stops with me, and I’m responsible for the situation,” Reid said at a Fairfax County School Board meeting last week. “I am sorry to every single athlete that’s been impacted negatively by this situation, every coach that’s been impacted, every family member, fan and community member.”

While a school system investigation didn't find any wrongdoing, the Virginia High School League still banned Hayfield's football team from the postseason for two years, saying it had determined Hayfield had violated recruiting rules. 

The complain was launched over 14 transfers who came with head football coach Darryl Overton from Woodbridge Freedom High School, his former school where he had won two straight state championships. However, during Thursday’s meeting, school board members revealed that an additional 17 football players transferred to Hayfield from other schools in the region, for a total of 31 new student-athletes who joined the Hawks in time for the football season.

According to WTOP, a judge on Nov. 15 struck down the ban on Hayfield playing in the playoffs this year  following a lawsuit brought on by a group of Hayfield parents seeking to overturn the VHSL’s decision. The ruling allowed the Hawks to play one playoff game before ultimately withdrawing from the postseason on Nov. 26 amid allegations of exploiting a possible housing loophole to help players transfer by then-athletic director Monty Fritts.

Reid had defended Hayfield's use of transfer players, citing the school's internal investigation on the matter and the judges' ruling on the matter. 

However, just days after Hayfield’s removal from the playoffs, Reid told WTOP that the school division is planning an external investigation into transfer procedures and protocols across all sports and schools, “just to make sure that we don’t have a circumstance like this arise again." 

“This is at best a demonstration of indifference and at worst, a dereliction of duty,” said parent Daren Krellwitz. “It’s a betrayal that’s destroyed the community’s confidence in FCPS leaders.”

The school board plans to discuss the hiring an external law firm to review its student-athlete transfer practices at its next meeting on Dec. 19.