Muscle Shoals High School football program under investigation for recruiting rules violations - opp
Muscle Shoals HIgh School Football Stadium
Muscle Shoals, AL
Four years ago, the AHSAA passed new, tougher rules aimed at stopping recruiting.
Now, those new rules are being put to a very public test.
Defensive lineman Lex Morgan – an 300-plus-pound All-State player from Wilson, in the northwestern corner of the state – told the Florence TimesDaily newspaper earlier this month that Muscle Shoals coaches Scott Basden and Chris Balentine enticed him to transfer and play for the Trojans.
“They contacted me last year and talked to my dad about it,” Morgan was quoted by the TimesDaily. “They convinced him about Muscle Shoals and they convinced me to go there.”
Social media exploded, as fans of opposing schools pointed to Morgan’s quote as proof of Muscle Shoals’ rules violation. Morgan is not enrolled at Muscle Shoals, and it’s unclear what his football future will be.
AHSAA Executive Director Steve Savarese has confirmed that the governing body is investigating the situation, but there’s no timetable on when it might conclude. Muscle Shoals Superintendent Brian Lindsey – a former baseball and football coach – declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigation.
All of north Alabama is watching.
Muscle Shoals began riling opponents several years ago, most notably when five-star defensive lineman Dee Liner transferred from nearby Sheffield. The Trojans, a consistent doormat that failed to win a playoff game from 1989-2008, began winning big when Basden arrived in 2009.
Muscle Shoals has won at least eight games in each of his seven seasons, going to the playoffs every year, winning 11 or more games four times, and advancing to the 2013 Class 5A championship before losing to Spanish Fort.
Opposing fans, of course, have grumbled about the Trojans’ success. Is that professional jealousy for the job Basden has done or has Muscle Shoals been breaking the rules? That question has been the rumor mill’s No. 1 product.
Until now. The Morgan situation provided Muscle Shoals’ opponents with supposed confirmation of nefarious conduct. Unfortunately, it appears the TD’s interview with Morgan was not recorded.
Which bring us to the AHSAA’s decision to strengthen its recruiting rules in 2012.
Rule VI, Section 12 of the AHSAA bylaws, “No person connected in any way with a school may contact a student or prospective student, or his/her parents or guardian, who resides outside of the school district to inquire or encourage them to transfer or enroll in their school for the chief purpose of participating in interscholastic athletics.”
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If found guilty of breaking the recruiting rule, the AHSAA hits the school with restrictive probation – essentially a postseason ban. In this case, that would be no playoffs for the football team.
In addition, any coach ruled to have engaged in illegal recruiting is barred from coaching in the AHSAA for a full year.
Those stiff rules show why the AHSAA’s recruiting rules have been called some of the nation’s toughest.
Some coaches have already suggested that it will become “open season” for recruiting if Muscle Shoals isn’t punished. But can the AHSAA prove the Trojans did anything wrong?
Perhaps the kid misspoke. Perhaps the father implied to his son that Muscle Shoals contacted him, but never actually did. Maybe the teen was simply confused.
Or, maybe Muscle Shoals broke the rules.
Much like the NCAA, AHSAA officials are handicapped by the fact that they don’t possess subpoena power. People lie all the time. Some refuse to cooperate.
Believing is one thing. Proving is another.
It’s a fascinating case, and Savarese surely understands lots and lots of people are watching closely.
Josh Bean covers high school sports for AL.com. He can be reached at jbean@al.com.
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