11/12/14 – Board of Control Upholds Penalties Against Cordia High School; Reduces 2014-15 Suspension to 15 Games

November 12, 2014 2014-2015 News Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 12, 2014

The Board of Control completed a special meeting on Wednesday morning at the KHSAA Offices to conclude the appeals hearing for sanctions levied against Cordia High School, which recessed on Oct. 22nd. Following its deliberation, the Board upheld 18 of the KHSAA’s original 25 findings of fact from the yearlong investigation.

Upon completion of its review, the Board voted to uphold four of the seven original penalties. In its action, the Board reduced the suspension of Cordia’s 2014-15 boys’ basketball team from a full season (30 games) to a 15-game suspension. The 2014-15 Cordia boys’ basketball team will be limited to a 15-game regular season schedule, with no postseason play. The postseason ban will also apply to the 2015-16 boys’ basketball team.

As part of the original four upheld penalties, Cordia was placed on probation through the 2018-19 season and required to forfeit all games from the 2013-14 boys’ basketball season for the use of an ineligible player. The Board also extended the postseason bans levied against head coach Rodrick Rhodes and assistant coach Lawrence Thomas to two years apiece, to match the penalty levied against the boys’ basketball program. The final upheld penalty was an aggregate fine of $25,980 for its various violations of KHSAA Bylaws.

Following the special meeting during the morning, the Board met in the afternoon for its regularly scheduled November session. Action taken during the regular session included:

?Approval of proposals from the membership during the Annual Meeting of the Delegates for review by the Board of Education.

?Approval of a first draft of a new alignment in swimming and diving, which will be distributed to the membership for review and comment with implementation scheduled for 2015-16.

?Approval of an adjusted time schedule for the 2014 Russell Athletic/KHSAA Commonwealth Gridiron Bowl, with new game times slated for 11 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. (CT).

-KHSAA-

About the Kentucky High School Athletic Association
The Kentucky High School Athletic Association was organized in 1917 and is the agency designated by the Kentucky Department of Education to manage high school athletics in the Commonwealth. The Association is a voluntary nonprofit 501(c)3 organization made up of 277 member schools both public and private. The KHSAA sanctions 43 state championships in 13 sports and 4 sport-activities, licenses and trains over 4,000 officials, provides catastrophic insurance for its more than 70,000 member school student-athletes, as well as overseeing coaching education and sports safety programs.