AD, Coaches Fired in High School Recruiting Scandal

An ugly scandal in the Dallas Independent School District is coming to a close with the firings of the district's athletic director, two top basketball coaches and 12 others.

According to The Dallas Morning News, superintendent Mike Miles announced the dismissals on Friday saying an internal investigation found the coaches fabricated student residency documents to get star athletes from other parts of town to play at DISD high schools. However, the investigation is linked to something far more serious than fudged records.

As The Dallas Morning News states:

The investigation was triggered by the beating death March 24 of Wilmer-Hutchins basketball player Troy Causey, who lived in a southeast Dallas home with top Madison player Johnathan Turner. Turner was arrested in the killing and charged with murder.

Neither athlete was living with his family in the home on Cinnamon Oaks Drive. The residence isn’t in the Madison attendance zone, and while it is within the Wilmer-Hutchins boundary, Causey had moved there from Richardson ISD. The University Interscholastic League prohibits students from playing for high schools outside their attendance zones.

The victim's mother claims her son was improperly recruited by the school's coach, John Burley, while he was at a residential facility for young offenders on assault charge. She says Burley arranged for Causey to attend Wilmer-Hutchings even though he lived in the Richardson school district.

Illegal recruiting has been an ongoing issue in the Dallas area, with South Oak Cliff High School having forfeited its 2005 and 2006 basketball championships for having an ineligible player.

“Despite strong efforts to put safeguards in place, violations have continued to occur," Miles said. This is unacceptable and will not be tolerated."

For a full look at the issue, check out the coverage from The Dallas Morning News.