In the wake of cheating allegations that led Cardinal Ritter (Mo.) High School to cancel what remained of its football season while firing the entire coaching staff, the program announced new leadership on Thursday.
According to KMOV, school administrators, teachers, players and family members were invited to the school Thursday evening as Rob Wallace was named the school’s new athletic director, while Brennan Spain was tapped to be the football team’s head coach.
“The decisions to hire Mr. Wallace and Coach Spain come out of a rigorous selection process, and both gentlemen are committed to maintaining the Cardinal Ritter standard of excellence on and off the field,” said school president Tamiko Armstead.
The new hires represent a fresh start for the program brought low after it was investigated for using an ineligible player early in the season.
Related: Jersey-Swap Ends HS Season, Coaching Staff Fired
The bizarre case stems from a penalty dealt to a player for having been ejected from the state championship game last year. As a result of the ejection, the player was supposed to have been ineligible for the team’s season opening contest — but instead of sitting out, the player simply wore a different jersey and competed under a different name. The player never sat out a game before the situation was discovered, and as a result Cardinal Ritter was made to forfeit all of the games it had played this year. The team suspended its season in October, and ultimately fired the entire coaching staff.
Both of the new hires will begin in their roles in January.
